Blazing Tundra
by Darkfireblade
Summary: Naruto is discovered by four ninja the night of the sealing. While being raised by said ninja, the boy developes feelings for one of his caretakers. He is out to prove himself worthy of her heart; while facing down the nine paths. ON HIATUS. AU, OOC
1. The Day We Met

Blazing Tundra

**Author****: Welcome to another story authored by me, but inspired by the awesome Manga/Anime that is Naruto. Just to make things clear, this story will be a Kurenai/Naruto story. I am sorry if that disappoints you, but I have had this idea in my head for quite some time now. Because of this I would like to write it and see how it turns out. I hope this does not deter you from reading even though it may not be one of your favorite pairings.**

**Disclaimer****: I do not own anything associated with Naruto, because even if I did, there is no way I could make it as awesome as it is.**

* * *

"Talking"

"_Thinking_"

Jutsu

{_**Demon or Summon Speech in Mental Realm**_}

"**Demon or Summon Speech in Physical Realm**"

-**Scene or Time Change**-

* * *

_Chapter 1_

_**The Way We Met**_

Three teenagers appeared over the body of their fallen Hokage. A silver-hair male struggled to keep his composure. His master, his teacher, lay before him. The one man who taught the young man almost all he knew. A girl, younger than the aforementioned male, hesitantly leaned down and brought a blood-covered baby to her chest. The child ceased its despairing cries as the warmth from her body embraced its cold body.

"Yondaime-sensei…" The third member whispered in despair.

"Rin…"

The young woman looked at her silver-haired teammate.

"Help me with his body. We need to take him to Sarutobi-sama."

"Of course Kakashi."

The brunette lifted the body onto Kakashi's back. Quickly the two left, leaving the younger girl behind. The golden-haired child unconsciously clutched onto her shirt; relishing in her warmth and comfort.

"Don't worry little one…I will protect you…" her gentle voice rang sweetly in the infant's ears.

It was then the black-haired girl noticed her missing comrades. She quickly began walking towards the Hokage tower because that was her best bet. Trudging through blood-engulfed scenery made her pick up the pace. She needed to get away!

A few veteran ninja watched closely as the young girl strolled through the streets. After taking notice of the small child in her blood-drenched arms, they began to notice the other aspects of her. Her long black hair was tied in a messy ponytail that reached the small of her back. It was hard to determine her age due to the horrible light provided by the cloud-covered moon. When they saw her whine-colored eyes, she was instantly recognizable. The young maiden was Kurenai Yuuhi. Orphaned at a young age, surprisingly talented at Genjutsu, and had a high distrust of almost all men. She was a rare jewel to say the least.

"Yuuhi-san!" a teenager's voice broke the silence.

"What is it Iruka?" she answered quietly.

The young male skidded to a stop before her.

"I finally found you…" he paused to catch his breath before continuing, "Hokage-sama needs you to-"

It was at this point in time the scarred teen noticed the baby.

"Is this-"

"Yes…It was the baby used to seal the Kyuubi…"

Kurenai examined his reaction. All she saw was pity.

"I see, what about his parents?" the boy asked; fearing the answer.

"I do not know. I recovered him from Yondaime-sama, that is after he died..."

"So he must also have been orphaned…"

It was a statement rather than a question. The time for talk was over and the two continued together in silence. Upon reaching the tower, the three were instantly ushered into the main office. Almost all the high-powered ninja greeted the newcomers with fatigued looks. Kakashi and Rin were collapsed on the ground by the desk. Their wills were no longer able to sustain their body weight. The fourth Hokage's bloodied body lay on a table in the center of the room. Kurenai and Iruka walked forward until they stood by the other two younger ninja. Once again, the red-eyed female found herself the center of attention, or rather the child that she held. She heard whispers among her superiors.

"That is the child…" she heard one bald ninja state.

"Such a burden to carry…" an older woman whispered, gaining nods of agreement from a few surrounding ninja.

The whispered assaulted the young girl's ears. She wished for them to be silent. Now was not a time for murmuring amongst one another. Kurenai desperately want the Sandaime to hurry and dismiss these scrutinizing eyes. Unconsciously she tightened her grasp upon the newborn.

"Thank you all for arriving." The voice of a powerful man echoed throughout the room.

The Sandaime had finally arrived; accompanied by four people. Instantly, two of them were recognized as Tsunade and Jiraiya. The others were the elder Hokage's old teammates.

"I appreciate your patience. Now we have quite a few matters to discuss quickly."

-**Three Hours Later**-

"Everyone but Kakashi, Rin, Kurenai, and Iruka may leave."

"But what about the child? What is to be done about it?" the head of the Uchiha clan demanded.

"As far as I am concerned, we will decide what to do with _**HIM**_ after our village has been rebuilt and stabilized." Sarutobi retorted harshly.

Fugaku Uchiha snorted before leaving. Everyone else soon followed after. Once the room had cleared, the five elder ninja examined the four young ninja. Kakashi and Rin had quickly fallen asleep, resting on each other. Tsunade did a quick check up on the two.

"They are both fine. It is merely exhaustion."

"What of the other two?" Jiraiya asked.

At the mention of the other two, Kurenai raised her head and Iruka slowly stood to attention.

"Oh, you are awake." Tsunade smiled softly.

"Just barely Tsunade-sama…" Iruka yawned.

Kurenai did not respond much but the medic nin knew she was paying attention.

"Yuuhi-san?" Jiraiya asked.

She nodded, saying the man could continue.

"Can you give Naruto to Tsunade, so she can do a check up on him?"

The medic nin waited patiently for the girl to unravel her arms and hand the child over. Instantly the baby awoke and cried. Its comforting heat source had been stolen. Seeing the distraught baby, Kurenai grabbed his little hand and he simultaneously stopped his fussing. Naruto was obviously not happy she let him go, but the little contact was all he needed.

"Kawaii!" Tsunade quietly laughed.

"It seems little Naru-chan has taking a liking to you Yuuhi-san." The toad sage responded, earning a blush from the young lady.

Within seconds, the check-up was done and Naruto was safely tucked back in Kurenai's arms. The baby was soon sleeping soundly.

"Hmm…other than the fact his body seems to be more developed that a newborn, everything is normal."

"That is a relief." Sarutobi breathed a sigh of relief. "The Kyuubi is probably speeding up his growth so that Naruto can be able to protect himself quicker."

Silence reigned. Eventually one of the elder Hokage's teammates spoke.

"Is there a place where these young ones can stay for the night? I know we are desperately short on ninja, but we need to give them more time to recuperate."

"Um, I have a question." Kakashi slowly stood and placed Rin on his back.

"You may ask away."

"What is to be done with Naruto-san?"

"As of right now? Hmmm…" Sarutobi thought for a few seconds, "Well, I really do not know. I am sure he will be placed in the care of a young couple or the nursery until he is old enough to fend-"

"I will take care of him!" Kakashi uncharacteristically interrupted. "Forgive me Hokage-sama."

"No apology necessary. Why do you want to take care of him?"

"Rin and that child are all I have left of my master. The Yondaime chose this baby to contain the Kyuubi for a reason. I have a decent apartment that Rin and myself live in. Naruto would be safe and well looked after."

"I would have to think about that…"

"I would also wish to take care of him. That is if Kakashi and you don't mind." Iruka stated tiredly.

"Me too…" The red-eyed girl spoke.

"Why?"

It was a simple question, but Iruka could not seem to find the right words. After a couple minutes passed, Kurenai stepped forward.

"What else do we have? We are all orphans Hokage-sama. All four of us share a bond through this single fact and because of that I believe we are the best choice you have right now."

"But I could give him to Tsunade and Jiraiya. They would both be a great choice, would they not?"

The genjutsu mistress took a small step in surprise. Sarutobi was right. They would be a better choice.

"We could be like a couple!" Jiraiya fantasized, puckering up his lips and tried to hug the woman.

"Like hell, you stupid pervert!" Tsunade said punching the man in the stomach.

"Tsunade-hime…" the man whined, falling to the ground.

Sarutobi slapped his forehead.

"Then again, maybe not."

At that statement, Kurenai visibly relaxed. Tsunade was quick to notice this. She kicked Jiraiya while he was down, for good measure, and then faced the young girl.

"I think she is quite taken with the child. Plus if I was to take him, he would have no childhood. It would be filled with endless training and drinking. With this idiot," she kicked Jiraiya again, "Naruto would most likely end up being a womanizer and pervert."

"That's SUPER PERVERT to you Tsunade-hime." She snorted and kicked him once more.

"What about living accommodations? I know Hatake-san has a place, but what about you Kurenai and Iruka?" the other teammate of the Hokage's spoke up.

"They can both move in with me." The silver-haired wonder stated. "I am a jounin so I can afford a large apartment with enough space for all five of us."

"If that is the case, then I will not deny your request; however, I will only accept this under one condition."

Kakashi nodded in agreement so the Hokage continued.

"I will set up a monthly 'allowance'. It is to be used only for Naruto and to help pay for your rent. I know Kurenai, Iruka, and Rin are all chuunin and Kakashi is a jounin, but I will feel more comfortable if I know you will have sufficient funds to pay for it all. After all, this battle with the Kyuubi was devastating to our economy and overall village condition."

"We gladly accept your stipulation." The three conscious ninja stated.

Now that the matter had been settled, Sarutobi ushered the young shinobi out. Kakashi was quick to lead his new roommates to his home. By the time the four had arrived, Rin had awaken.

"Yuuhi-san? What are you doing here?"

Her teammate was quick to explain everything that transpired. Rin accepted immediately and led Kurenai to her room to give the girl a shower and change of clothes. The two girls first took some blankets and made a makeshift bed for Naruto. It was not much, but the child gladly accepted his 'bed'. Though, he was quite reluctant to release Kurenai. Rin giggled and showed her new roommate the bathroom and change of clothes. Once the red-eyed beauty was in the restroom, she was finally able to see her appearance. Her black locks were greasy and stuck together in multiple places. Her normally white shirt was drenched in the blood.

"_The same blood that still covers Naruto._" She thought for moment before exiting the bathroom.

Kurenai reappeared with Naruto in her arms.

"You should be given a bath little one." She whispered.

As though hearing her, the baby awoke and opened his eyes. What she saw shocked her. His eyes were a gorgeous blue, but what shocked her most was the fact that soon after seeing her face, Naruto cooed and giggled cutely. For the first time, in a long time, a smile graced her lips.

"Are you ready for your first bath?"

It was though the blond baby understood her, because he soon cooed and made a noise that sounded a lot like "uh-huh". The maiden locked the door before setting the boy down. She then started undressing herself. She watched in amazement as Naruto turned his head away from her partially naked form. The teenager giggled to herself.

"_It seems you are already a decent man. To look away from a woman undressing is a hard thing to do when you are a male._"

She turned on the water and let it reach a warm temperature before plugging the drain. As the bath filled, she finished relieving her form of her clothing and soon undressed the baby. Testing the water, Kurenai slid in with Naruto cradled over her shoulder. A towel surrounded her body, separating her and the little one. As she soaked in the heated water, all the stress of the day began to hit her all at once.

Hot tears slowly raced down her porcelain-skinned face. A lot of lives had been lost today. The bloody battlefields still haunted her. She could still smell it; the overbearing stench of iron. Kurenai could feel the horrible, maniacal chakra of the Kyuubi.

Naruto cooed questionably. Tiny hands padded Kurenai's face. She opened her puffy eyes to something else shocking. His hands lightly touched her face; right underneath her eyes. With uncoordinated motions, Naruto seem to desperately try to wipe her tears away. Again she found herself smiling. Maybe her fatigue was making her see or think out of the ordinary, but either way, it appeared to her that Naruto was trying to offer comfort.

Even though she appreciated the gesture the tears resumed. She cried softly for what seemed like hours. Naruto still tried to wipe the tears away, but his efforts soon became tiring. The exhausted baby soon fell asleep upon Kurenai's shoulder.

"Forgive me little one…Let's get you to bed."

Kurenai washed herself as best as she could without disturbing her little comforter. Once finished, she gentle scrubbed Naruto and dried him off.

Rin suddenly knocked on the door.

"Yuuhi-san? Is everything alright?"

"Yes. I will be out soon."

True to her word, the chuunin was out. Rin smiled at the sleeping blond.

"Well I see he got his first bath as well as his first bath with a woman."

They both snickered at her comment.

"Kurenai, let's go to bed."

With a small nod the two girls were soon in bed asleep. Naruto lay in his make-shift bed, close to his red-eyed savior. Morning crept slowly forward, much to the appreciation of the five house occupants. At around 10am, Kurenai and Rin were the first to wake. Naruto soon followed and quickly 'asked' to be held. Rin giggled.

"Go get him mommy."

The younger girl glared before lifting the child into her arms. Naruto cooed excitedly. His actions brought a smile to her face.

"Come on little one. Let's see if we can find you something to eat."

Life resumed normally, well, as normally as it can with a child now in their lives.

-**Eight Months Later**-

Kakashi and Iruka had constructed a room for the little blond child. It had been well furnished thanks to the newly re-elected Sandaime.

As far as Naruto was concerned, his overall development was drastically increasing. Though he did have a handle on how his body moved, the boy still had trouble with walking by himself. Even then, that did not deter the little guy from trying to escape whenever he had the chance. Poor Kurenai once again found herself chasing down Naruto. After a minute of chasing him, she finally captured the blond child. He giggled as she picked him up. A smile formed on her lips.

"Come little one, let's go do some errands." The teenager told him.

"I'll come with you Kurenai."

"Alright Rin."

The three soon left the apartment. Rebuilding the village had been a constant procedure these past few months. It was basically a twenty-four hour, seven days a week job. Nearly half of village had been completely rebuilt.

"Where is our first stop?" Rin asked.

"Grocery store and then I was thinking of stopping by the dango shop."

The groceries were quickly purchased and the trio moved onto the dango shop near their home. Rin watched in amusement as the men around her looked shocked that Kurenai was holding a child.

"Who's the father?" Rin heard one chuunin ask.

"I did not know that Kurenai had a child. I never thought she had even been together with a man." Another guy stated.

"You all are idiots. Kurenai would never let any man near here. There is a reason she is known as the Ice Queen of Konoha."

"Oh good she is still available. Well then who is the father?"

Rin snickered and Kurenai rolled her eyes. These men would never leave her be. The two girls tried to not pay attention while they munched on their delectable treat.

"No one knows! I heard it's classified."

Naruto was absentmindedly babbling; making noises any child his age would. That is until something caught his attention. Right next to Kurenai mouth was a bit of dango. He focused on the sweet treat much like a predator watched its prey. Before anyone noticed Naruto had brought his mouth over Kurenai's. Shock quickly registered in everyone's mind.

"_That was my first kiss!_" Kurenai stated, shocked in her head.

Silence.

Rin then decided to break the ice.

"Wow Kurenai, not only has little Naruto-kun taken a bath with you, he also stole your first kiss." The young girl giggled at the male's reactions.

Jealousy oozed from all their auras, and some even showed complete humiliation.

"He had a bath with her!"

"I can't believe we were bested by a baby!" a few moaned and one even cried.

It was at this time that Kakashi and Iruka walked into the shop. They both surveyed the area of downtrodden men and looked quizzically at the two young women for an explanation.

"Let's just say little Naruto-kun is more of a man then any of them." Rin smiled while Kurenai sighed heavily.

Now, as for Naruto, he just cooed victoriously with dango in his stomach and Kurenai's lipstick smeared over his lips.

* * *

**Author:**** Well there you go people! There is the first chapter of Blazing Tundra. I hope you enjoyed it and I pray that you review and let me know what you think. I am positive that all of you know how much leaving a review benefits and encourages a writer. So I would appreciate your comments, concerns, and questions. I will have the next chapter up for you all soon. Thanks for reading!**


	2. I Found Myself

**Author****: Thank you for all the reviews and what-not. I am glad you responded to let me know what you thought about the entire story so far. Well now that you **

**Disclaimer****: I do not own anything associated with Naruto, because even if I did, there is no way I could make it as awesome as it is.**

* * *

"Talking"

"_Thinking_"

Jutsu

{_**Demon or Summon Speech in Mental Realm**_}

"**Demon or Summon Speech in Physical Realm**"

-**Scene or Time Change**-

**Current Ages:**

Kakashi and Rin: 16

Iruka and Kurenai: 13

Naruto: 1

* * *

_Chapter 2_

_**I Found Myself**_

"_Can that even be considered a kiss?_" Kurenai pondered. "_Why am I even considering this! Naruto is a baby! How would he know he was doing? But still…_"

The perplexed teen took a damp towel to Naruto's lipstick covered face. After he was cleaned off she took care of her lips as well. The little blond most likely had messed hers up, and she would prefer to have no lipstick then to have it be all messy.

"Yer only eight months old and you are already a lady's man Naruto-chan!" Rin commented.

The blond boy cooed, oblivious to what she meant.

"_Maybe you can melt her ice-covered heart._" Rin thought. "Oi! Kurenai! Let's get out of here. All these depressing men have ruined the atmosphere."

"Alright Rin." The Ice Queen answered.

Both females left the disgruntled group of men. Kakashi and Iruka soon followed. Suddenly an ANBU appeared before them. He stood towering over the young teens. Based upon that fact he was rather an intimidating man. Other then the cliché ANBU suit, his only distinguishing feature was the fact that he wore a large crystal ear-ring.

"Kakashi…Rin…Iruka…Kurenai...Hokage-dono requests your presence."

"We will be there soon."

Before the ANBU left, he glanced briefly at the blond child. The elite ninja then shifted his gaze to the one who carried the child. Kurenai looked through the slits of the mask.

"Is there a problem ANBU-san?" the red-eyed maiden questioned.

"Forgive me. Naruto-sama was different than what I had anticipated."

Without another word, the more experience shinobi disappeared. The group quickly found themselves in front of the most powerful ninja within the village.

"What is it that you needed us for Hokage-sama?" Kakashi inquired.

"First of all I wanted to see how Naruto-kun was doing. I guess I should ask you directly Yuuhi-san."

"…" she hesitated to answer; confused by the elder's statement. "He is developing rather well. Other then the fact he is always wanting to be held or fed, Naruto is growing at a rapid pace. He is close to being able to run around the apartment."

"He's a fast little bugger Hokage-sama!" Iruka laughed heartily. "Every single one of us has a tough time trying to catch him."

"I see…well another reason is I called you all here today is to speak on the matter of Naruto's upbringing. I am hesitant to all any of you to start training him as a shinobi. I know it is way too early for him to start but still. My desire for Naruto, if at all possible, is to allow him to choose his own path."

"We all see where you are coming from Hokage-sama." Rin interjected. "We would not want to force this lifestyle upon him. However, if he does choose it in his future, would we be allowed to teach him basics?"

"Hmmm…I will have to get back to you on that one. In the next coming years there are quite a few things that are going to most likely take place."

"Like what Hokage-sama?" Kurenai inquired.

"Teaching genin teams and the Jounin exams are the closest events I see coming up." The elder answered.

Kakashi sighed heavily after the first couple of words were stated.

"You want me to start teach genins? With all due respect Hokage-sama, I cannot teach a bunch of greenhorn brats."

"And why is that Hatake-san?"

The silver-haired male stayed silent. His one eye stared caringly at Rin. Only Sarutobi noticed the glance.

"I have more precious matters to attend to."

The Hokage nodded his head in understanding.

"All of you may leave, except for Rin and Kurenai. I have a mission for the two of you."

The males excited with Naruto in tow.

"Before you ask, it is merely a recognizance mission. I need you to infiltrate a country and learn the basic layout of the land."

"How long will this mission take?" Rin asked.

"I am thinking about four to six months."

"What?" Kurenai uncharacteristically squeaked. "Sorry…"

She at least had the decency to blush after her outburst.

"I am sorry to make you leave for such a long period of time. However, you two are the only ones I can send. Based upon your skills and your teamwork, you two are the only ninja I can afford to send." The man sighed heavily.

"_Can Naruto last that long without me?_" Yuuhi thought.

Rin was thinking along the lines of her companion.

"What about Naruto-kun Hokage-sama? How will Kurenai last that long without him?" she smirked at her friend's glare.

The elder chuckled lightly before coughing to regain his composure.

"I know that the two of you are attached to one another. Still, Naruto needs to get use to Kurenai not always being there. I will try my best to make sure that Hatake and Umino care for him while you are gone. So you have no need to worry."

"If you are sure Hokage-sama…" Kurenai said. "When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow morning. Here is a scroll with the details and objectives of your mission."

The females took the scroll from his out-stretched hand and preceded to exit.

"Oh and Yuuhi-san?"

She turned to face the man.

"Why aren't you wearing lipstick like you usually do?"

Porcelain white quickly flushed bright red. Quickly she ran out the door to avoid further embarrassment. Rin giggled and followed her flustered friend. Sarutobi knowingly smirked at turned to face the large window behind him.

"_It's so much fun to tease the young ones._"

Kurenai and Rin vanished the next day and did not return until five months had already passed. When the two entered their home tired and exhausted, what they found shocked them. Kakashi and Iruka were lying on the floor of the living room. Both males looked like they had suffered torture for the five months the girls had been absent. Their hair was messed up, dark circles encased their eyes, and their clothes were in disarray. The room was in shambles. Trash, instant ramen cups, and dirty laundry littered the entire area. Not only that, but for some reason, there also seemed to be scraps of paper thrown about. Kurenai noticed that some of the paper were colored a specific orange color.

"_I think the little one found Kakashi's stashes…_" she chuckled.

Speaking of the little blond child, Naruto was sleeping soundly in the middle of the room. As the two girls neared him, Rin noticed a familiar looking shirt grasped within his seemingly larger hands. It was one of Kurenai's shirt. It did not take them long to figure out why the house and guys were in their current state. Naruto probably was not sleeping or eating while Kurenai was absent. Kakashi and Iruka probably tried everything to get the young child to comply, but every attempted ended in failure. The only thing that calmed him down was Kurenai's scent. After all, she was the very first thing he got to consciously smell and touch.

Kohona's Ice Queen found herself unconsciously smiling.

"I never thought I would see THEE Ice Queen smile." Kakashi half-heartedly spoke.

"Shut it Kakashi. So how was little Naruto while we were gone?" Rin commanded.

"I would rather face the Kyuubi…" the silver-haired teen sighed.

"Was it that bad?" Kurenai asked.

"All he did was poop, pee, and cry…" Iruka awoke and went into the fettle position. "How can a body that small hold so much pee!"

Kakashi shook his head in pity. The scarred chuunin just sat there rocking back and forth.

"Iruka got the brunt of the attacks. Almost every time he changed Naruto's diaper, he got peed on. Usually in the face. "

Rin tried her best to hold back her laughter.

"What would you guys do without us?" Kurenai sighed before picking up Naruto.

Said blond woke instantly at her touch.

"Kuwa-heem!" the boy exclaimed happily.

All four teenagers stopped. Naruto continued on his verbal banter.

"Kuwa-heem! Kuwa-heem!"

Stretching his arms out, Naruto appeared to be giving Kurenai a hug. She quickly hugged him back.

"It's alright little one, I am here."

"Kuwa-hime…" spoke once more before falling asleep.

"Kuwa-hime?" Rin questioned with a sly look on her face. "What a little sweet-talker. Naru-kun seems to have a pet name for you Yuuhi. Or should I say princess?"

"_Every time I hold you little one, you make my life more…interesting…_"

-**Three Years Later**-

Naruto laughed heartily as her ran down the street. Kurenai, now sixteen years old, smiled and sighed to herself. The little ball of energy was going to wear her down again today.

"Kure-Hime! This way!" the blond called to the young woman.

"Naruto slow down!" Rin shouted after the him. "Man alive! We can't allow him to get anywhere near coffee when he is older."

People watched as Naruto raced down the road. They could clearly see the boy was having a great time outside. Suddenly his forward momentum halted as he slammed into something.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch…"

"Are you okay Uzumaki-san?" a voice droned.

"Gomen mister!" the boy stood and bowed low in apology.

"That is quite alright." The man nodded.

"How do you know my name?"

"I guess it is my turn to apologize. My name is Uchiha Itachi."

"NO WAY!" the boy yelled excitedly. "I heard about you! I want to be a ninja just like you. You're really strong and have a lot of cool jutu…just…ummm…I forgot the word."

"The word you are looking for is jutsu."

"NARUTO-CHAN! Where in the world did he go?"

"Over here!"

The two women found themselves facing the Uchiha prodigy.

"Oh, Itachi-san. I hope little Naruto hasn't caused you any grief."

"Not at all Rin-san." His voice droned.

"ITACHI-NIISAN!" a cheery voice rang.

A boy, similar to Naruto's age, ran up to his apparently older brother. He had short black hair and dark eyes to match. A navy blue shirt covered his torso and a pair of khaki shorts covered the legs. Though what the blond boy thought weird was the fact that the boy had no shoes.

"Naruto-san, Rin-san, Kurenai-san, this is my little brother Sasuke."

"Nice to meet ya Sasuke-kun." Rin cheered.

The aforementioned boy quickly hid behind Itachi. This woman was too friendly for the three-year-old's tastes.

"Do not be rude Sasuke."

"…" he hesitated before gathering the courage, "N-nice to m-m-meet you Rin-san."

The three teens talked for a while. Naruto and Sasuke just stared at each other the entire time. The young Uchiha noticed that his blond counterpart was a little bigger than himself. Though they were both around the same age, the other boy seemed to be a few years ahead in terms of body growth. Naruto was thinking along the same lines. Though he was wondering why Sasuke was so smaller than himself. Blue eyes shifted to the elder Uchiha.

Itachi was someone that Naruto idolized in a sense. From what he had heard, the man was a prodigy among prodigies. His skills and overall abilities far succeeded most of the current shinobi in the village. The three teenagers were interrupted by one of the little boys.

"Itachi-san? How did you get so strong?"

The question caught the ANBU operative off-guard. He had not expected such a question from the young male.

"Well, I have precious people I need to protect. In order to do that I have trained myself to the bone. However, I still have a long way to go before I am powerful enough to obtain my ambitions." Itachi answered seriously.

"Precious? What's that?"

"It is difficult to explain Uzumaki-san, but I can give you an example. I train myself so that I can protect someone like my little brother and my family. They are worth putting my life on the line for." A tiny smile graced the rather stoic Uchiha's face.

"It is like you, Kurenai-chan, Kakashi-kun, and Iruka-kun for me." Rin clarified.

"So I can get strong if I train to protect Kurenai-hime?" the boy whispered to himself in self-contemplation.

Unknowingly, Itachi had heard the boy's comment.

"You are correct. I beg your forgiveness, but my brother and I must be going now. Father is looking to start teaching Sasuke to become a ninja soon. I need to go pick up some equipment for him." He turned to leave, but stopped at the sound of Naruto's voice.

"COOL!" Naruto shouted in excitement. "When can I start my training!"

"Um…" the two women hesitating in answering.

"We were waiting for you to decide what you wanted to do when you get older." A new voice sounded. "Hokage said we could not begin to train you until we were certain you wanted to become a ninja."

Kakashi appeared with a familiar book held within his grasp. Kurenai glared at the man's blatant lack of decency in public. The man ignored the glare and quickly put the book away before the two kids saw it. Itachi watched in amusement.

"Are you sure you want to become a ninja?" the man asked for clarification.

"YES! I want to be strong so I can protect Kurenai-hime!"

"What about me?" the silver-haired male questioned showing mock hurt.

"But Kakashi-niisan, you're the strongest person I know." the blond deadpanned.

"Are you saying that Kurenai-chan isn't strong enough to protect herself?" Rin teased.

"NO!" the boy instantly rejected. "It's because….because…ummmm…."

Naruto pondered for a little while before huffing angrily.

"She is someone you feel you must protect." Itachi stated.

"That's it! Plus I want to get strong to keep those stupid guys away from her! The one's Rin-neechan told me about."

Kurenai's glare moved from Kakashi to Rin.

"What have you been filling his head with?" she demanded.

Rin tried to act as innocent as possible, however her roommate knew her better than that.

"Oh nothing too serious. I just told him that men just pursue you because of how pretty you are and not because of who you are."

"Yeah! 'Cuz Kurenai-hime is pretty, but she is also nice and fun to be with…" Naruto confessed blushing.

The red-eyed maiden sighed.

"Anyway…" Kakashi interrupted the silence, "should we get you some ninja gear Naruto?"

"HAI! IM GOING TO BE A NINJA, A NINJA, A NINJA! Watch out world Uzumaki Naruto is going to be the strongest in the entire world! Believe it!"

The boy grabbed Kurenai's hand and raced down the road. She giggled at the boy enthusiasm as she followed. Suddenly the boy stopped.

"Is something wrong Naruto-kun?" she asked.

"Where is the ninja store?" the boy blushed in embarrassment.

"It is back by our house."

"Oh…can you lead me there?"

The woman found herself smiling once again. He had a lot to learn, but he had plenty of time to do so. As the two walked back the way they came, their hands never parted.

"_First a bath, then a kiss, and now holding hands…_" Kakashi smirked under his mask. "_I wonder what else little Naruto will claim before any other man…_"

Kurenai and Naruto entered a small shop owned by one of Konoha's famous weaponsmiths. His name was Kagekunai Shinji. The middle-aged man with white hair greeted the two.

"Welcome, what can I get for the two of you?"

"We just need a beginner set for this little guy." The woman answered.

"I'm not that little…" the boy whined.

"I have just what you need."

The owner disappeared into the back room and reappeared moments later. He held a simple scroll. As he handed it to Kurenai, she inquired as to how much it would cost.

"This one is on the house. Uzumaki-san has a heavy burden to carry. It's the least I can do for him."

"Wow, Thanks mister!" Naruto cheered.

The two customers thanked him again before leaving the shop. On their way home, Naruto could barely contain his excitement. He was going to be able to start training soon. When the two arrived home Kakashi greeted them and told Naruto to get to bed. Training would begin tomorrow morning.

-**One Year Later**-

Naruto had finished his training for the day and retired to his room. The now five-year-old removed his clothes, leaving him in only his underwear. Grabbing a towel, the blond male entered the bathroom and took a shower. It took five minutes to complete the task and eventually he was dried and dressed again.

Over the past year his body had continued to grow at the abnormal rate. He now stood at an impressive four foot, two inches. If someone were to try and guess his age, they would probably answer at around eight or nine years of age. As the boy walked to his bed, he contemplated all that had happened over the past year.

Kurenai had improved in her overall skills and Rin had been promoted to Jounin. Iruka was still a chuunin and Kakashi had joined the ANBU forces. Other than those changes, life continued on as normal as it could. As for the training he endured, Naruto could tree walk and use a couple ninjutsu. Kurenai had tried to teach him some genjutsu, but it ended in failure. However, the blond loved the time he spent with her. Every once in a while she would leave for a while to complete a mission, but she always returned. Each mission seemed to take her longer to return from and Naruto is a rather impatient person. So while she was gone, he would train as best as he could. The faster he got stronger, the faster he could protect her.

"_There are no short cuts to getting strong. Only through hard work can you become strong enough. MAY THE FLAMES OF YOUTH SHINE!_"

The words of Kakashi's rival rang through Naruto's head. His name was Maito Gai and the blond's personal opinion of the man was:

"_He is one strange weirdo…_"

The boy's chest suddenly burst in pain. He tried to cry out, but nothing came. Confusion was clearly written all over his face as he collapsed onto the floor. His heart beat load enough to echo in his head. The area near his sternum ached and it felt as though something was cutting its way out. Hot tears flowed from his blue eyes.

"_WHAT IS GOING ON!_" he screamed in his head.

No one was going to come to his rescue, since all four of his house-mates were out on missions. The boy was able to wrench his eyes open and witnessed as something was exiting from his torso. From the looks of it, the object appeared to be a hilt of some sort. Pure instinct took over as Naruto gripped the handle. With what little strength he had left, the five-year-old slowly began to pull. Every second it took, the pain decreased. By the time it was half-way out, Naruto noticed that the item was a sword. In a desperate attempt to end the pain, Naruto pulled with all his might.

A bright light flashed and all pain subsided. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"_What in the world just happened?_"

After gaining his bearings, he noticed the sword was stuck in the floorboards near his feet. Upon closer inspection, the boy found the blade to be slightly smoking. It was as though the blade had just been forged. Its hilt was a standard katana style with a guard and pommel. The blade, however; was a onyx black. Starting from the crossguard, the black blade rose for three feet before slightly curving back. It looked like a long katana. Naruto grasped the blade and inspected it more. Pulling it from the floor, he found that it was nearly as tall as him.

"What is this thing?" he questioned out-loud.

**{**_**It's the first path little one...**_**}**

Naruto jumped at the voice inside his head. The first path? Just how many exactly were there?

**{**_**Let us see if you can make it through the other eight…**_**}**

"EIGHT!" he yelled.

Just great…now he had to go through this experience eight more times.

* * *

**Author:**** I hope you like the second chapter! I had fun writing it. So as for normal procedures, please review and comment. Like always, suggestions are welcome and if you want only me to know them, just PM me. I will answer as promptly as I can. I will try to get my next chapter up by next weekend. I am aiming for Saturday or Sunday. Well thanks for reading and I hope that you enjoyed this chapter.**


	3. Holding You Close

**Author****: Thanks for all the awesome reviews. I am glad you are all enjoying the story. Sorry about the long time it took me to update. Writers block is a pain in the butt. Especially if you are having a pretty hectic week. Anyway…now to address the reviews!**

Moscow2009: **If I had any idea what you said, I would probably appreciate it. Well hopefully, cuz the smiley face usually is a good indicator. Either that or I have making myself look stupid. Lol. Though I am fine with that. I usually do that everyday.**

Tristan76:** As for the question you gave in your 2****nd**** chapter review, if you are referring to the sword used against cavalry, then it is kind of similar. But for it is more like**** a No-Dachi (which is a 1.9 meter long sword). As for the second part of your question, by the eight paths, it is kind of both. There are 8 more swords to go, but they will also be painful to gain. I explain it a little more in this chapter.**

**Disclaimer****: I do not own anything associated with Naruto, because even if I did, there is no way I could make it as awesome as it is.**

* * *

"Talking"

"_Thinking_"

Jutsu

{_**Demon or Summon Speech in Mental Realm**_}

"**Demon or Summon Speech in Physical Realm**"

-**Scene or Time Change**-

* * *

**Current Ages:**

Kakashi and Rin: 20

Iruka and Kurenai: 17

Naruto: 5 (with body of eight year old)

* * *

_Chapter 3_

_**Holding You Close**_

Naruto work up the next morning slightly fatigued. As he sat up the black blade in the corner caught his eye.

"_Oh yeah…_" the boy thought.

Last night's events ran through his head. He pushed the memories from his mind and got ready for the day. Naruto pondered what to do today as he took his hot shower. Maybe visit the Hokage? He might be able to enter the academy now. After all, Naruto was around four feet tall and was more developed than anyone else in his generation. Up to this point in time, the young male had thought his growth was normal. That is, until he met others his age. Each person his age was either a foot or more shorter than himself.

"I'll ask the Hokage when I see him today."

Suddenly a low beating sound echoed throughout the apartment.

Ba-dum…

Ba-dum…

Naruto neared his room. As he neared the bedroom, the sound increased in volume and frequency.

BA-dum…BA-dum…

BA-dum…BA-dum…

The child found himself in front of him door.

BA-DUM! BA-DUM! BA-DUM!

BA-DUM! BA-DUM! BA-DUM!

It pounded in his head; the unbearable sound rattling his skull. Naruto fell to the floor, breathing heavily. An immense pressure bore down on the small boy, making it hard to even move. A low whisper entered his ears.

"Y**our name…**" the voice demanded.

Naruto struggled to look for the origin of the disembodied voice. Finding no one else in the room

"Shouldn't someone give their own before asking?" he questioned through gritted teeth.

"**At least you have some form of manners…**" the oppressive force was relinquished enough for Naruto to breathe easier. "**Kageshin…**"

"Shadow heart? That's a strange name…" said the young male, "Uzumaki Naruto, remember it well."

"**Steam fish-cake? And you think my name is weird? You've got some nerve boy…**" the voice irately commented.

"What do you want anyway? I have some things I need to do today."

"**Last night you became my wielder… I think it is time to complete our contract.**"

"_Wielder? Like a-_" Naruto thought.

**{**_**Yes, as in a weapon.**_}

Blue eyes instantly focused on the black blade wedged in the floor. How had the blade been able to enter into his thoughts?

"So it's you."

"**Hai**."

Naruto reached for the handle, but dark tendrils exited from the blade. They slapped away the hand.

"**He who has not completed the contract has NO right to touch me!**"

"And how does one go about completing this contract?"

"**Blood…** **I am the blade made from your lifeblood. I am your heart's blade. I require your blood. Do you accept?**"

"Will you give me power?"

"**Of course, but only when you put forth the effort. My abilities and those of my brothers and sisters do not come for free or instantaneously.**" The blade hummed dangerously.

"Brothers and sisters?"

Naruto was confused. How could a blade have siblings? Then it dawned on him.

"Are you-"

"**Yes, the other eight paths. Each one will test and require a contract if you prove worthy.**"

"Then I accept your terms." Naruto stated.

The blade sensed the determination in its owner. Might as well get this contract finished quickly. A gasp escaped the boy's mouth as the black tentacles took hold of his wrist. Before he knew it, the captured hand was squeezed onto the sharp blade. Crimson liquid cascaded over the metallic surface.

"Why doesn't it hurt?"

"**I am a blade made from you. I am designed to protect my wielder, not injure him. So even if you lose possession over me in a battle, you cannot be injured by me.**"

Within seconds the blood was absorbed into the blade and Kageshin spoke again.

"**It is done. Now go about your business Fish cake-sama.**"

The blond sensed a hint of humor in the voice. He smiled and chuckled.

"So how do I go about carrying you?" he inquired.

Naruto stood and looked at the weapon. The guard was eye-level with his current height.

"**I will rest here. If you need me, simply call me in your head.**"

The young child nodded and finished getting ready for the day. Soon he was out the door and on his way to meet with the Hokage. The trip was rather uneventful. Only when Naruto reached the Hokage Tower did things excite the day.

"KAKASHI-SAN, WITH YOUR HIP AND COOL ATTITUDE, I CHALLENGE THEE TO A CONTEST!"

Said silver-haired shinobi sighed in exasperation.

"What is it this time Gai?" the man's voice droned.

"HMMMM…" Gai took a thinking pose.

"How about you see who can get a kiss from a girl first?" Naruto suggested.

"YOSH! I ACCEPT!"

With that said, the spandex clad man burst out the doors. Kakashi merely looked at his little roommate with disbelief.

"Nice one Naruto." The blond smiled.

"No problem!" He turned to leave, but stopped. "By the way, how was your mission?"

"Can't tell ya Little One!" The man did his signature eye smile. "If I did, I would have to _**KILL**_ you."

Naruto looked at his brother-figure disbelievingly. With that, the blond ascended the stairs and knocked on the Hokage's door.

"Enter!"

Some invisible force appeared to slowly open the heavy oak door. Once the five-year old caught the elder's eye, the man spoke.

"Ah, Naruto-kun! What brings you to my office this early in the day?"

"I-"

"DON'T TRY TO KISS ME YOU FREAK!" a random woman's voice pierced the air.

The sound of flesh being struck echoed throughout the village.

"MY YOUTHFULNESS HAS BEEN REJECTED!"" a man wailed.

Naruto tried his best to hide his smirk, but horribly failed. Sarutobi found himself sighing heavily. It did not take him long to figure out what the child had done.

"So what brings you here Uzumaki-san?"

"I want to join the Academy. I think I'm old enough and strong enough."

"Are you sure about this? Do you know what it is to be a ninja?"

Naruto looked upon his grandfather figure. The solemn face that Sarutobi gave him clearly showed the seriousness of the question.

"Hai…It is to protect those that live within Kohonoa. I do this by not only putting my mind body and soul under your control, but also my life. I will have to fight other ninja, complete my missions, and even take the life of another human."

"Are you prepared to travel down this blood-drenched road?"

"If it means that one day I will be able to do what you have for this village, then yes."

The elder Hokage saw only pure honesty and determination in the young child's eyes.

"Alright, if this is your choice, then I will not refuse. The academy will be starting in a couple months. There will be a placement test to find out how advanced you are."

"AWESOME!" the boy cheered.

"But also be prepared to move out of your house." Sarutobi informed nonchalantly.

"What!"

-**With Kurenai and Rin**-

The two kunoichi were crouched next to each other, hidden upon a snowy slope. Their white cloaks only further hid them from prying eyes.

"So what exactly are we here for?" Kurenai questioned.

"We are merely here to scope out the landscape. Hokage-sama said it would benefit us if we knew the layout of the Snow Country. Konoha has detailed maps of all the other countries, but this one."

"Isn't that a little strange?"

"Yes it is, but from what I here, every squad sent here has never returned." Rin stated.

An uneasy feeling gripped the wine-eyed woman's heart. What had caused all of them to never return? Out of nervousness, she cast a small genjutsu over the two; further concealing them in the mountain peaks. It was then that two heavy thuds landed behind the females.

"Where did they go?" a husky voice snarled.

Slowly Kurenai turned her head to look at the two newcomers. What she saw scared the most is what they were.

"_Samurai!_ "

Samurai have always been and probably always will be a ninja's worst enemy. They were complete opposites in everything. Ninja use deception and trickery to defeat their opponents, whereas Samurai will face you head on using their honor and skill. Another example would be that one uses a power called chakra and the other uses spirit. The list could go on for miles. Above all, one rule in the ninja world applied to every ninja nation:

**When facing an opponent such as a samurai, do NOT engage; immediately retreat.**

The man that spoke had a large sword drawn out. It was silver in color and large, compared to a katana. The blade itself was slightly curved from the hand guard to the tip. It was easily five feet in length with about a two foot handle. What caught both girls' eyes the most was the hand guard. It was circular and was about the size of a buckler. In anger the sword-wielder slammed his sword into the ground. Kurenai did her best not to cry out in alarm as the blade dug into the snow right beside her.

"_That was dangerously close…_"

"Toushou-san!" the other male ordered. "Calm yourself."

"Forgive me Asuma-san." With that said, he sheathed the giant blade onto his back.

Kurenai was slightly shocked at the appearance of the man. He had black hair and a well-trimmed beard. His armor shined from the sun's ray. The 'Asuma' was a very handsome man. However, she found it odd that he had did not have any sword on his person. There were two, or what appeared to be, trench knives.

"_A samurai with a ninja weapon? That's odd._" Both woman thought.

"Well there appears to be no one here." Toushou said a little aggravated.

"It seems that way. Well let's head back to the village."

"Hai…"

After a few minutes, both women breathed a sigh of relief and Kurenai released the genjutsu.

"How much longer do we have to stay here Rin?"

"Only one more month. Little Naruto-kun might have forgotten about you by then…" Rin giggled as her comrade glared.

"Let's just hurry to get this mission over with. This country is giving me a bad feeling. I just want to go home-"

"To your Little One." Rin interjected again.

Kurenai huffed and jumped off; effectively leaving her friend alone.

"Oh come on Ku-chan! Don't leave me here alone!"

-**Back with Naruto**-

"Why do I have to move out?"

"Well since you will be moving into the Academy. The way we do things is a lot different then what we use to in the past. Once you enter the Ninja Academy you move into it. The council found it more suitable so that the next generation can get more accustom to the life as a ninja. It was frowned upon by many clans, because they also wanted to be instrumental in their children's development."

"So I will be living at the Academy from now on?"

"Only until you graduate." Sarutobi informed. "Don't worry; Yuuhi-san will be able to visit you from time to time. The way I see it, if we can separate the wannabe ninja from their families, we will be able to determine how they will grow in the long run. You will not always have your family to support you. By choosing to be a ninja, you are choosing to forfeit your childhood and become an adult."

"I see. Then when I get home I will start packing my things." Naruto said turning to leave.

"There is no need to. We have been constructing a compound for all of you to stay in. It's kind of like as hotel except you don't have to pay for it. You will have a roommate and also have supervisors. This will make sure you don't cause too much trouble."

As by some divine force acting as evidence, another feminine voice pierced the air.

"NO I WILL NOT KISS YOU, YOU WEIRDO!"

This statement was also followed by a loud smacking sound.

"YOSH! I HAVE FAILED AGAIN! AS YOUTHFULNESS ALWAYS SAYS, IF NOT THE FIRST HUNDRED TIMES, THEN IT'S THE NEXT HUNDRED FOR SURE!"

Sarutobi smacked his head. How did he get cursed with such a strong, but idiotic shinobi?

"Alright Uzumaki-san, you may go now. I expect you to be well behaved with your roommate."

"Oh you know me Jiji-san!"

"_And that is what makes me nervous…_"

With today's business done, Naruto went out to buy some ninja gear.

-**One Month Later**-

Naruto stood before his four roommates. The appointed time had come to drop the boy off at the academy. The young male now sported a pair of dark blue shorts that came down to his shin. A blood red shirt covered his torso and the lower portion of his face. Rin giggled as she noticed that the left sleeve was long and the right was almost nonexistent.

"_Some of his ensemble was influenced by a certain genjutsu mistress._" Thought Rin.

A black belt hung loosely over his waist; decorated with a few pouches. To complete the outfit, the blond male had a small black vest and a pair of ninja sandals to match.

"Well I guess this is where we say goodbye." Kakashi stated placing his trademark book into his pouch.

"Yeah I guess so. Stay away from girls okay Naruto-kun!" Rin said, patting the boy on his head. "The older they get the more scary they become. Oh, and they have _**COOTIES**_!"

The boy backed away from the woman.

"Cooties? What are those?"

"If you get too close to a girl, they latch onto you and drag you away into a parallel universe where you are slowly devoured. Eventually you will go insane, because as they eat you, they talk about pointless things. Cute boys, make-up, and shopping are the general topics."

By now Naruto was really starting to believe her, but Kurenai step between the two. Why did she insist on torturing the boy.

"Knock it off Rin. You'll make Naruto actually believe they are real!" the Ice Queen glared at her friend.

"So they aren't real?"

Kurenai kneeled down so she was eye level with the blond. She could not help but smile and laugh softly at the boy's hopeless expression.

"Cooties aren't real. After all, you have been living with me and Rin for five years and it hasn't happened."

He scrunched his brow is thought. It did make sense, but then again Rin just had to push the envelope.

"That's because they don't attack the men you L-O-V-E."

"RIN!" Kurenai turned shouting, slightly blushing.

"Gomen! Gomen!" the woman laughed.

Eventually her focus was reestablished on the boy before her.

"Now Little One-"

"I'm not little anymore. I'm gonna be a ninja, so I'm a adult now…" Naruto stated bashfully.

"Alright, alright…" she smiled gently. "Then Naru-chan, you better behave yourself. We will all visit when we can, but you study and work hard. Okay?"

"Yes…I become a ninja soon, so I can protect you from all those men that look weirdly at you."

The genjutsu mistress did a double take.

"What?"

"Rin-chan told me that men look at you weirdly and that they have bad thoughts about you. So I will become strong so I can beat them up if they do that. She said it was to protect your honor." The blond said quietly, pushing his fingers together while blushing.

Said woman just giggled and hid from Kurenai's glare behind her teammate.

"It's alright Naruto, I can protect my own honor-"

"Isn't that a man's job, to protect his woman's honor?" he shouted.

The child then returned to looking at the ground, refusing to meet her wine-eyed gaze.

"_Wait! Wait! Wait! __**His**__ woman's honor?_" Kakashi thought, totally dumbfounded by the statement.

A glance over his shoulder told the man where Naruto got that statement. Rin just stood there whistling away; acting as innocent as possible.

"Should have known…" Iruka stated sighing. "Well we will take our leave! Good luck Naruto! I will see you for classes tomorrow morning."

As the man walked away, he latched onto Rin and Kakashi's arms.

"I want to stay Iruka-kun!" she whined. "It was just getting good!"

"No you have caused enough trouble already." The two males commented.

Once all three were out of hearing range, the ninja wannabe spoke.

"Did I say something bad?" Naruto timidly questioned.

"No Little One, Rin is just being…well…Rin."

"Hey I'm not-"

"I know, I know…" she smiled.

It was funny how only Naruto was able to make her smile. Around him, it just seemed… well… easy, maybe even natural.

"If that is what you want to work towards, then so be it. However, I expect you to be able to beat up every single one of them. There are a lot of them too."

"Watch me, I will get strong enough to beat even Ero-senin! I won't stop training until I can protect you from everything! Believe it!"

Naruto gave his signature smile and thumbs up.

"So you will get so strong you can beat up Jiraiya-sama? That will take a long time."

"By the time I graduate, I will be strong enough to protect you."

"Really? That's a big statement."

"It's a promise! I don't go back on my word!" he shouted determined.

"I'll take that promise. Don't disappoint me Little One." She teased.

Suddenly Kurenai leaned forwards and kissed the boy on his forehead. Within an instant the boy's face was neon red. She kept her lips there before wrapping him up in her arms. His reaction was slow, but he eventually returned the hug.

"_This scent…I have known it for as long as I can remember. I want to protect this scent…this warmth….my precious person…__**I won't let anyone harm her**_!"

Naruto squeezed a little harder. He did not want this secure feeling to end.

"It's getting late." She whispered softly in his ear.

"I know…" he sounded dejected.

"Take care Naru-chan."

"You too Kure-hime…"

Naruto quickly kissed her cheek and ran off into the dormitory. A tiny blush tinted her cheeks pink. Kurenai touch the spot the blond had kissed. He had rough lips, but Naruto was very gentle. Once again she found smile gracing her lips.

-**With Naruto**-

He slammed the door behind him and slide down it. Did he really just kiss her on the cheek?

{_**NARUTO!**_}

"_What is it Kageshin?_"

{_**Prepare yourself, my brother is coming!**_}

"_What?_"

Suddenly pain ripped through Naruto's right arm. Black veins slithered over the appendage and quickly climbed up to his neck. The blond grabbed his shoulder with his left and collapsed onto the floor of his room.

{_**UZUMAKI NARUTO!**_}

"_Wh-wh-what is y-y-your name?_" the boy gasped out.

A deep chuckled echoed in his skull.

{_**My name is Tenshuhando…Let us see if you are worthy of wielding me!**_}

The black veins on Naruto's neck and arm began to pulse violently. A silent scream escaped from the boy's throat and his arm felt it was being ripped to shreds.

* * *

**Author:**** Well there you go people, the third chapter of Blazing Tundra. So now Naruto has entered the Academy, and has encountered the 2nd path. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and one again I apologize for the massive wait. I hate writers block just as much as you do. Please comment and let me know what you thought. If you have any suggestions or questions, PM me or just ask away in the reviews. I will answer them in the next chapter. Thanks again!**


	4. When No One Is Around

**Author****: Thanks for the awesome reviews. Now to respond to said reviews.**

**Moscow2009:**** I greatly appreciated your review. And to answer your questions and calm your, for lack of better term, fears.**

**#1: I was hoping someone would love that part.**

**#2: Sorry about the rushing of time. I, quite frankly, suck at drawing things out. I will try my best to make sure I do not continue to do that in an undesirable way. My main reason for not showing other perspectives is because I am a little narrow minded. Lol… I prefer to focus mainly of the key players in the story. (for instance, Naruto and Kurenai)**

**#3: It is true that I have failed in the aspect of making the relationship between Jiraiya and Naruto clear. Although I did reveal him in the first chapter, I did not put him in the other chapters. However, Sarutobi's three disciples are well known as Tsunade the Legendary Sucker, Jiraiya as the Super Pervert, and Orochimaru the Traitor. I was planning on having all three of them show up in the coming chapters and do some flashbacks to show how Naruto knows them.**

**#4-5: In the Story description I put an AU, which stands for Alternate Universe. Because of this, I am able to manipulate the characters in how they are related, when they appear, and etc. I made Rin as a replacement for Anko, because I am planning something else with the snake woman. Also, I have kept Rin alive mostly because I want Kakashi to have someone alive from his past. As for the relationship with Kurenai and Iruka, since they are all ninja, it is highly probable that they would at least know of each other. Not only that, but they have been through the Kyuubi attack together. It is their similarities as orphans, surviving the attack, and being ninja together that makes them have knowledge of one another or, at the very least, acquainted.**

**#6: Yeah, about the swords/weapons. Every time Naruto has gained one of the blades, he has been alone. In the second chapter, everyone was on a mission. In the third chapter, he was in his dorm. So according to those facts, no one has seen him with the blades (especially since he can't carry them). As the chapters move on I will further explain their capability to "hide". I guess that is the best term I can think of.**

**Anyway, thank you for bringing your concerns to me. I also don't mind the bad language. I have known this language for eighteen years and I still can't get it right. ****I hope you continue to read and enjoy. I look forward to hearing from you in the future.**

**Disclaimer****: I do not own anything associated with Naruto, because even if I did, there is no way I could make it as awesome as it is.**

* * *

"Talking"

"_Thinking_"

Jutsu

{_**Demon or Summon Speech in Mental Realm**_}

"**Demon or Summon Speech in Physical Realm**"

-**Scene or Time Change**-

* * *

**Current Ages:**

Kakashi and Rin: 20

Iruka and Kurenai: 17

Naruto: 5 (with body of a eight year old)

* * *

_Chapter 4_

_**When No One Is Around**_

Naruto convulsed on the floor as pain continued to shoot through his right arm.

"W-w-wh-what is your price!" the boy said through gridded teeth.

{_**Straight to the point…I like it. Right now I am just searching your mind and testing your body. I need to see if you are capable of wielding me. It will be over soon.**_}

Kageshin materialized before the blond and spoke.

"**Naruto, deal with the pain for a little longer. My brother is very powerful.**"

Every second that ticked by caused the boy to get closer to losing consciousness. The pain soon subsided a little. The sweat-drench male rested his back on the door.

{_**As for my price, it is a simple one, but also one of the hardest to keep.**_}

"Just tell me, what it is…"

{_**Your word. I want your promise that you will use me to keep your promises. A man is only as great as his word. You made a contract with that woman, and now I want you to make one with me.**_}

"I can definitely promise that!" Naruto stated with a smile. "That is my ninja way, if I do not keep my promises…you may take my arm as retribution."

A weapon began to appear before the blond and the deep voice entered the room.

"**I accept. I expect great things from you; especially since you also wield my brother.**"

All the pain subsided and Naruto was able to look upon his new blade…well it was more like blades. Before him was an interesting weapon. A two foot long blade was stuck in the floor. It was a thick blade too. Judging by the length it was about six inches wide and about an inch thick. Only one side of the blade possessed a cutting edge. The handle was normal, but was surrounded by a circular guard. Another, identical blade protruded from the other side of the handle.

"You look like half of a windmill shuriken except you're silver…" the blunt statement earned a snicker from Kageshin and an angry grunt from Tenshuhando.

"**Watch what you say boy! I might just take your arm right now for insulting me!**"

"So when do I get to see your abilities?"

"**Boy if you tried to use my power…you would die…**" Tenshu said.

"**Same here**…" Kageshin added.

"Dang…well time to go to bed."

As all the stress of the day converged on the male, he collapsed onto his new bed and instantly lost consciousness.

"**I wonder if he will acquire one of our sisters next…**" the long blade stated.

"**I hope not…I don't want to listen to any of their nonsense for at least a few more years.**" The new weapon sighed heavily.

-**With Kurenai**-

She entered her home silently, locking the door behind her. Rin was sitting on the coach with Kakashi at her side.

"So did you give him a goodbye kiss?" the woman teased.

Kurenai did not give her the satisfaction of knowing she was right. So she decided to avoid the question altogether.

"If you two will excuse me, I am going to bed." She flipped her hair and walked into her room.

After she left, Rin turned to her comrade.

"So how was your mission?"

"It was boring. All I did was escort some snobbish noble to the edge of the Fire country. From there a convoy took them the rest of the way. There was no fighting, no danger, and basically was a waste to put me on the mission."

"Then why did you accept it?" Rin questioned.

"Well Hokage-sama had to send either myself or Gai…" he paused to let the information sink in.

The brown-haired woman stared at him in realization.

"I see, I would rather send you. Gai, well…is Gai."

They sat in silence; simply enjoying the other's company.

"Jounin exams…"

"Hmmm?" Rin inquired.

"The jounin exams are coming. Are you going to participate?" the man's voice droned.

Even though he tried to hide it, Rin saw through his façade. He was worried about her.

"Would you like me to participate?"

The young woman moved closer to her friend. Kakashi remained silent for a while.

"_What should I tell her…_"

Waiting had never been one of her strong points, so she once again scooted closer to the male. Said male finally realized a slight increase in temperature upon his right side. Rin was leaning up against him. Her head rested on his chest, arms encircled his waist, and legs curled behind her.

"You should do what you want to do."

"Hmmm…" Rin purred silently.

They laid there for a few minutes before she spoke again.

"Your lips are telling me '_yes_'…but your heart is saying '_Don't Go_'. Kakashi, you know which one I will listen to."

-**The Next Day**-

Naruto woke with two voices bickering beside his bed.

"**You wake him up!**" Kageshin sneered.

"**I am your older brother. Seniority trumps all.**" The broadsword countered.

"**If that is the case, Naruto-sama summoned me first. So I have seniority.**"

"Shut up both of you." The blond decided to interrupt their bickering.

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Naruto continued.

"Why do I need to be awake?"

"**School starts in ten minutes**." Tenshuhando deadpanned.

"Oh Crap!"

-**In Iruka's Classroom**-

All the students were chatting among one another as Iruka tried his best to learn their names. He grabbed a folder from his desk and started going through the names. As the teacher looked throughout the class, he was able to pick out the clan members. The first two that caught his attention were students who had no pupils in their eyes.

"_Hyuuga's…I take it the girl is Hinata._" Iruka looked at the small girl who pressed her fingers together. "_Neji is the other one. Strange…he isn't on my roster for my class."_

"_Oh! That's right. Hokage-sama told me that he is here to protect Hinata._"

The teacher's eye's strayed to the next student. This one was rather obnoxious and had a small puppy resting upon his head.

"_Must be an Inuzuka…Hmmmm….Inuzuka, Inuzuka, where is that name. Oh! Here it is. Kiba._"

It was at this point that Naruto burst through the doors. All chatter ceased at the blatant entry.

"Sorry Iruka-sensei. I overslept. I have a very rough night."

The older male rolled his eyes and pointed to a seat next to Uchiha Sasuke.

"I am just glad you actually showed up. I was hoping you hadn't gained Kakashi's habit of arriving late."

-**Somewhere in Konoha**-

A sneeze erupted from the Jounin's mouth and the item he was carrying was sent flying from his hand. The man watched in horror as the treasured object fell through a grate and into the sewer.

"NO! THAT COST ME A FORTUNE!"

People looked confused at the man crying in the middle of the street.

"Why is he crying? All he did was drop that little box he was holding." A woman commented.

-**Back at the Academy**-

Everyone felt a shiver as a depressing aura blanketed them.

"Well, now that everyone is here. Let's do a roll call and start today's lesson."

The day proceeded from then; unhindered by anything. Iruka was able to get a grasp on everyone's names. He started off the day with a history lesson and the basic mechanics behind chakra manipulation and manifestation. Since Naruto had heard this lesson many times before, he zoned out.

**{**_**Hey Fish-cake!**_**} **Kageshincalled to the blond in his mind.

"_What is it?_"

**{**_**Do you have any idea of a training schedule? Since you are out on your own, I take it that the Hokage expects us to take training into our own hands.**_**}**

"_I don't_."

**{**_**Well we need to get one figured out soon. I do NOT want to lie around all day. You need to get strong enough to pick me up before someone can start teach you a style.**_**}**

"_Well sorry!_" the boy snapped back "_How was I suppose to know that I would be getting you guys? Not only that, but how was I suppose to know both of you would be taller than me?_"

{_**That is a good point Fish-cake.**_}

Naruto's thoughts were interrupted by an outburst from a classmate.

"Sensei!" a black-haired boy waved his hand frantically. "Sensei! Sensei!"

"Yes, what do you need…um" the scared chuunin questioned.

"Rock Lee!"

"Ah yes, Lee-kun, what can I do for you?"

"Can someone still be a ninja without being able to use chakra?"

All the children were confused. Being a ninja without chakra, was like being a fish with no water. It was rare and most likely suicidal to try and be such a shinobi.

"Why do you ask Lee-kun?"

"I was told I have no ability to use chakra! But I still want to be a ninja!"

Iruka was shocked at the young boy's determination. It reminded him of a certain blond kid.

"I believe it is very possible. However, it is a very difficult road to take. Every enemy you face will have some sort of skill with ninjutsu and genjutsu. Using only taijutsu and kenjutsu could give you a disadvantage."

"Iruka-sensei?"

"Yes Naruto-kun?"

"Doesn't Maito Gai use only taijutsu?"

Everyone looked at the Naruto in disbelief. It was common knowledge that there were powerful ninja within Kohona. Out of the top shinobi within village, Copy-Cat Kakashi (only few knew why) and the Green Beast of Konoha Maito Gai were the most famous.

For years people had wondered if Gai was capable of Ninjutsu of any form, or if he could only do Taijutsu. Even until this day, people have contemplated if Gai chooses to only do Taijutsu to prove a point.

"To my knowledge, Maito-san does only use Taijutsu."

Naruto watched with satisfaction as Lee perked up even more. His giant eyes (and eyebrows to match) hardened with resolve.

"Sensei! I want to one day prove that ninja don't need chakra in order to be strong. I want to one day surpass Maito-sama!"

"That is a difficult goal Lee-kun. After all, he has about a twenty-year head start."

"Then I will train really hard so I can catch up."

Iruka laughed heartily. Lee sat down and listened intently.

"Alright! I will show you some basic ninja techniques that I will be teaching you this year."

-**One Year Later**-

The following year had gone faster than anyone had expected. Naruto, with the help of Kageshin and Tenshuhando, had created a rather basic training schedule. From his earlier years with Kakashi, the young male had developed training régime. It was basic exercises. Sit-ups, pull-ups, crunches, squats, and many other exercises were used to train his strength. Every day he spent two to four hours training his body in the provided training grounds.

About three weeks into his training schedule, Lee had found him and asked to join. Now Naruto was not one to turn down a few ninja-hopeful. So together they trained, learned, and built a friendship (or rivalry in Lee's case).

As for Naruto's swordsmanship, after a few months of training, the boy was able to pick up Kageshin and swing him a few times. The long blade had sighed heavily when Naruto had gotten tired after only fifteen swings. He remembered the conversation he had had with Kageshin.

-_Flashback_-

{_**We are going to increase your training regime. You won't stand a chance in a fight if you can't even swing me more that fifteen times. Not only that, but your form is an utter disaster.**_}

"_Well SORRY!" Naruto spat, "Maybe if I had someone to teach me how to wield you, I would have no problem."_

_{__**True, at least you can pick me up now. What about my brother? Have you tried picking him up?**__}_

_The blond stayed silent. Of course he had tried, but his attempts ended in the blade mockingly berated him._

-_End of Flashback_-

Naruto entered his new room for his second year at the Academy. To his surprise he found Lee sitting on the bed on the opposite end of the room.

"Lee!" the blond called cheerfully.

"AH! My eternal rival Naruto-sama, how goes your training?"

"Great! I can finally start using my sword efficiently."

"I still don't understand why you want to use a no-dachi. That blade is extremely heavy and difficult to wield." The roommate commented.

"It was entrusted to me. It's my sword, so I will learn how to use it properly."

A knock on the door was heard and Lee went to answer it.

"_Kageshin…shatter!_"

The blade responded to its master's voice and burst into a red mist. The mist then dissolved into Naruto's body; completely disappearing in seconds. By this time, Lee had reached the door and opened it. What greeted him, left the boy stunned. A beautiful woman stood before the young male. Her black hair shimmered in the hallway light and her ruby-red eyes captivated him.

"Is Naruto around?"

Lee looked up at the gorgeous female. Not trusting his voice, he simply nodded dumbly.

"Ah, Kurenai-chan!" The blond called.

Said female smiled gently as the hyperactive boy ran to her.

"Are you ready to go to the party?"

"Totally, but what is the party for?" Naruto questioned.

"Well Kakashi asked Rin to marry him. So we are throwing them a party."

"_Marry…what's that…_" the blond thought. "Do I need to get a gift for them?"

"Don't worry Little One, I already got one for you."

"HEY-"

Naruto was about to retaliate for the 'Little One' comment, but she pushed the present into his hands and walked away.

"NARUTO-KUN! WHO IS THAT VISION OF BEAUTY!"

The woman rolled her eyes at the boy's outburst. Even little kids were attracted to her.

"Oh, that is Yuuhi Kurenai. She was my caretaker when I lost my parents when I was born. She is one of my precious people. She is the reason I want to become strong."

"I see Naruto-kun."

"I will catch you later Lee. I hope to be back later tonight so we can train."

"I WILL WAIT PATIENTLY!"

-**At the Party**-

The blond knocked loudly on the door before entering. Familiar smells, scenery, and people greeted him.

"KAKASHI'S YOUTHFULNESS HAS ONCE AGAIN BEAT MY OWN! MARRIAGE IS SUCH A WONDERFUL STEP! CONGRATS MY ETERNAL RIVAL!"

"Um…thanks Gai. But could you keep it down. I don't need you upsetting Rin." Kakashi stated rather bluntly.

Naruto scanned the room. Rin was chatting with some of her friends, Kakashi was talking with Gai and Iruka, and Kurenai was had gone to sit in the corner. The raven-haired female had a drink in her hand as she sat alone. She soon felt another's presence sit beside her. Judging by how the person's feet didn't reach the floor, which gave her only one choice.

"How is the academy going?"

"Okay…I guess. I am learning a lot and getting stronger every day."

"Really now?" she smiled gently.

"Uh huh! Iruka-sensei said that if I continue at the rate I am going, I will be able to graduate in a few years. So you don't have to wait too long Kure-hime."

"Oh really? You think you can beat Kakashi by then."

"…maybe…but he isn't after you. S-s-s-so," he sat there pushing his fingers together., "I don't need to beat him."

Now Kurenai was having fun teasing the six-year old.

"What about Gai?"

"I would beat him definitely!"

There was no room left for questioning. The little knucklehead actually believed he could beat Gai. Kurenai chuckled lightly before rest her head on her palm.

"I would like that."

"Alright!" Naruto jumped from the chair and ran up to the spandex-clad ninja. "Maito Gai!"

The elder ninja looked curiously at the Naruto.

"YOSH! A PRIME EXAMPLE OF YOUTHFULNESS!"

"SHUT UP! I CHALLENGE YOU TO A FIGHT!"

Silence immediately took control over the room. Even Gai found himself shocked by the outburst.

"I said I challenge you to a fight Gai!"

"THIS LITTLE ONE'S FLAMES OF YOUTH BURN BRIGHT!"

"_Oh no…Gai said the taboo phrase…_" Kurenai snickered to herself, "_I wonder what my little one is going to do about it._"

Kakashi, thinking along the lines of Kurenai, watched as Naruto lowered his head. His shoulder's shook and his fists clenched tightly.

"_Only Kure-hime may call me that!_" The blond shouted in his head.

Gai was totally oblivious to the anger that cascaded of the small boy in waves. The man patted the ninja-hopeful and spoke again.

"I see a bright and glorious future for this little one."

"_That idiot…_" everyone in the room thought.

Naruto raised his head and pulled back his fist.

"**DON'T CALL ME LITTLE ONE**!"

Red irises pierced into the taijutsu specialist's dark ones. With as much power as the eight-year old body could muster (with a tiny help from Kyuubi), Naruto propelled his clenched fist forward. Kakashi cringed slightly as he predicted the target of the blond's attack. Now Naruto was by no means short. The only problem was that Gai was rather tall. Due to this difference in height, there was only one place that the boy could do considerable damage.

Within milliseconds, Gai's form collapsed to the ground in a heap of spandex. The woman gasped in surprise and the men cringe and subconsciously covered themselves.

"Right in the tenders…" Iruka whispered to himself.

Naruto's breath was ragged from his anger, but his smile clearly showed his confidence. He had taken Maito Gai, the Green Beast of Konoha, down with one punch. Thinking it was his victory, Naruto turned to face his precious person with a smile plastered to his face. The woman could not help but smile. Technically her little defender had beaten Gai, even if his method was rather…(for lack of a better term) below the belt.

Within seconds, the party resumed; unhindered by the crying male on the floor. The blond triumphantly walked over to Kurenai.

"I told you I got stronger!" he announced proudly.

"Good job little one." She smirked.

"Hey!"

His pouted expression made her giggle. This is turn, caused Naruto to slightly blush. Her laugh was beautiful to his ears.

"Okay…only you can call me that." The boy whispered, barely audible.

"What was that Naruto?"

A little louder this time he reiterated.

"I said only you can call me Little One. No one else. Or I'll beat them like I did Gai!"

"Alright, I accept that privilege." Her ruby lips curled up into a smile.

-**Two Hours Later**-

At this point in the party, only Kakashi, Rin, Iruka, Kurenai, and Naruto remained. One of the visitors had taken Gai to the hospital, just in case anything was damaged. Rin was talking to her roommate in the kitchen while the men sat in the living room.

"So how did you propose Kakashi-san? I never did get to hear the story."

An audible sigh escaped the silver-haired male.

"I would have done it earlier, but something happened."

"Like what sempai?"

"I had just bought the ring, when suddenly a huge sneeze made me lose my grip on the box. It went sailing through the air and down into the sewers. For nine months I hunted Konoha's sewer system. It caused me to be even later than I usually was. Eventually, after I found it, I asked her about a month ago."

"Is that it?" Naruto questioned.

"Excuse me?" Kakashi replied, completely baffled by the question.

"Well, didn't you do anything special when you proposed. I heard Rin talking about it earlier and all the women were saying "That's so romantic" and "I wish my boyfriend would do something like that!". What exactly did you do?"

"Fine, I guess I can tell you. A year ago, marriage had been on my mind."

"_Marriage? I keep hearing it, but what does it mean?_" the blond thought.

"I took her out to a nice meal at her favorite restaurant, and even got her that dessert she always wants. After that we walked around town…until we suddenly arrived at Obito's grave."

"_Obito…I remember. That's the teammate that Kakashi and Rin lost before I was born._"

Naruto and Iruka waited patiently as Kakashi gained his bearings once more.

"By the time we had gotten there, the sun was setting and the sky was filling with stars. Nothing was out of the ordinary and I believe she did not suspect what I was planning. I went to fetch the ring from my pocket. However, it was missing. I nearly panicked. As Rin watched the sunset, I desperately looked for the ring."

-_Flashback_-

_Kakashi was searching everywhere with his eye, trying his best to not alert the star-gazing female._

"_Of all the times to lose the ring!_" _the man ferociously thought._

_As the search continued, Kakashi began to lose hope. Unconsciously the man walked to the grave of his fallen comrade. Shock clearly registered as he noticed the box was sitting on the tombstone._

"_Oh thank you Obito. I guess I can take it as you approve." The man whispered._

_Unknowingly, his teammate had strolled behind him and heard. She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her head into his back._

"_Approve of what Kakashi-kun?"_

"_My proposal?"_

"_What proposal?" Rin stated confusion radiating in her voice._

_The man took the box, turned around, and bent down on one knee._

"_This proposal…Rin will you marry me?"_

_She was utterly flabbergasted. It was evident that Rin was not expecting such a bold move from the shinobi. Tears welled up in her eyes as she shook her head up and down. After all, her voice seemed to not be working at the moment. Before Kakashi knew it, his mask was pulled down and Rin had quickly captured his lips._

-_End of Flashback_-

"Wow, that is pretty romantic sempai." Iruka commented.

A pregnant silence encompassed the three guys. Naruto soon broke it.

"What is marriage?"

Both men thought of how they could explain it, but Rin beat them to the punch.

"It's when you find someone precious and you want to care for them. Simply put Naruto-kun, it is a promise two people make to provide and protect one another until both one them die. It also means that I belong to Kakashi and he belongs to me. We are forever bound to one another."

"I see."

The three present ninja watched as the wheels and cogs were turning in the blond's mind. Rin knowingly smirked. Kurenai, totally unaware of the previous conversation, entered from the bathroom. She slowly walked up and noticed the silence, and the mischievous smile on her roommate's face.

"What did you talk about?" the Genjutsu mistress demanded.

"Naruto was just curious, so I enlightened him." Rin smiled.

The dark-haired woman turned to the boy and raised an eyebrow. Naruto noticed her quizzical stare and asked her.

"Can I ask you something Kure-hime?"

"_Why is he using that at a time like this?_" the two men questioned themselves.

"What is it Little One?"

After a moment of gathering the courage, Naruto finally spoke.

"Will you marry me?"

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**Author: ****Oh snap! Yeah cliffhangers! I have to make sure you continue to want to read my story. Once again, sorry about the long update period. School and work have gotten a little more hectic. Like always, I look forward to your reviews, comments, suggestions, and questions that you will hopefully send me. Thanks again for reading and I will try to get the next chapter up by next weekend.**


	5. That is All I Can Do

**Author****: Thank you all for your reviews! They are always a delight to read and quite a few of them made me laugh (in a good way). I am sooooooooooooo sorry that it took me so long to update. Tristan76 gave me a lot to think about. I was stupid and did not think of what could happen, so I really had to think this one through.**

**Disclaimer****: I do not own anything associated with Naruto, because even if I did, there is no way I could make it as awesome as it is.**

* * *

"Talking"

"_Thinking_"

Jutsu

{_**Demon or Summon Speech in Mental Realm**_}

"**Demon or Summon Speech in Physical Realm**"

-**Scene or Time Change**-

* * *

**Current Ages:**

Kakashi and Rin: 21

Iruka and Kurenai: 18

Naruto: 6 (with body of a nine year old)

* * *

_Chapter 5_

_**That Is All I Could Do **_

Kurenai stood there, perplexed by the question entirely. Rin just smiled at the blond's naivety. After a moment of silence, Naruto spoke again.

"What's wrong Kure-hime?"

His question did little to ease the distress in her heart.

"_How do I answer this? Every answer can and will affect how our relationship proceeds. Not only that, but it could very well affect his entire life. If I say no, he could take it completely wrong and withdrawn into himself. If I say yes, my Little One could become possessive instead of loving._"

Kakashi's fiancé soon realized her mistake. The price for her enjoyment of teasing seemed to have distressed Kurenai. Rin tried to quickly remedy the situation.

"Kakashi and Iruka…"

Both men realized the meaning within her words.

"Come Naruto, let's give her some time." Iruka said.

"Okay…"

Confused by the tense atmosphere, Naruto eventually followed the older males out of the room. Once the door was closed, Rin flew to her friend's side. A sharp pain stabbed her heart as sobs filled the room.

"What am I suppose to say?" the woman sobbed softly. "Every answer I can think of ends up backfiring…"

The brown-haired female held the other close. Eventually tears slid down her face as well.

"I'm sorry Ku-chan." She cried.

They both sat in each other's embrace.

-**With the Three Males**-

Naruto stayed silent as the three walked through town.

"_Did I do something wrong?_"

The two ninja understood the gravity of the situation, but decided to let Naruto break the silence. It wasn't until the trio reached a training ground that Naruto decided to finally speak.

"I didn't fully know what I asked, did I?" the young boy sighed heavily.

"You could say that…" the silver haired man stated bluntly.

"C-can you explain this whole marriage thing to me? Every time I learn from Rin, I cause Kurenai trouble."

"Ummm…" Iruka looked to Kakashi.

The other male was also in a conundrum. How could they explain what marriage was to a six-year-old?

-**One Hour Later**-

"Oh, I get it!" Naruto confessed before continuing, "Actually I don't. I only understand a little."

"_Well we tried._" The older men thought.

"I need to go apologize to her."

Kakashi placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Leave her be for now. Give her some time to think things through. This is a very delicate subject for her."

"Okay…if you say so…"

-**One Month Later**-

Naruto and Kurenai had yet to see each other since the wedding shower. That was to be expected because both of them were busy. She had missions and he had school. Ever since that night, Naruto pushed himself harder then he thought he could.

"_I need to be strong enough to protect her._" He hoisted Kageshin onto his shoulder. "_If I can't do that, then I do not deserve her._"

The blond raised the blade high into the air. The very tip of the blade pointed towards the sky. He held it there for a while; seeping his chakra into the weapon. Five minutes passed before Naruto opened his eyes and slashed downward.

"Kiloton Slash…"

Debris from burst from the earth as an invisible force sliced through it. A large boulder sat in the path of destruction and soon met its fate. The rock buckled, creaked, and then finally shattered into tiny pebbles.

"There…Kageshin…I did it…one hundred times."

"**Good…now GET ME OUT OF THE GROUND!**"

Naruto laughed as he attempted to retrieve the blade embedded in the dirt. As he tried, the sun sank lower until it was almost completely hidden by the horizon. The full moon; however, was shining quite brilliantly. Suddenly the blond froze; the scent of someone familiar assaulted his nostrils.

"Shatter…" he whispered.

Without a word Kageshin dispersed into a cloud of red mist. Once the mist had been absorbed, Naruto sat down on another large boulder, crossed his legs, and waited patiently. Kurenai stopped at the edge of the forest. Her breath caught in her throat as she gazed upon him. Was this a good time? Should she wait a little longer?

"_NO! I have made him wait long enough…I need to give him a reply…and pray that the outcome is a good one._"

She composed herself as best as she could. Bravely the woman strolled forward. Naruto could hear the nervousness in her steps. Before both of them knew it, the two were feet apart.

"Naruto…"

Upon hearing his name, the boy slid down the rock and faced Kurenai.

"Kurenai…" he returned.

The worry in those gorgeous blue eyes did not escape the perceptive female. Fear was clearly evident in her crimson orbs. Naruto wanted nothing more that to eradicate her insecurity.

"I am sorry it took so long to give you an answer-" she began but was interrupted.

Naruto had suddenly fallen to the ground, forehead pressed to the ground, legs tucked under, and hands placed on either side of his head. Kurenai was utterly shocked.

"_Kowtow?_"

"Forgive me. I didn't understand exactly what it was that I asked you. I caused you pain and I am truly sorry for that." The boy took a ragged breath before continuing, "And if it helps, you can forget that I even asked you to marry me in the first place."

Kurenai could sense the hurt in his voice. Slowly she got on her knees too.

"Naruto, look at me."

The blond refused to lift his head, so she tried a different tactic.

"Little One…please, look at me."

Naruto heard the pleading sound in her voice. Hesitantly he looked up. Once her eyes pierced into his, the male could not divert his gaze. A single tear rolled down her face. He wanted so much to wipe it away, but he was frozen.

"I do not know how to put this… I have had an entire month to think things through and even now, my words seem to be coming out mindlessly."

"All I want is the truth. What you say will never change how precious you are to me."

The woman's tundra heart fluttered erratically. His comment had brought a light blush to her face. Encouraged by his words, Kurenai leaned forward. With gentle hands, she brought the boy into her arms. She hugged him, laughing lightly as she realized the tenseness in his body. Naruto was frozen, but as her scent bombarded his nose, he relaxed. The blond male relished in the sense of security she provided. This was the one thing he could never forget. It was the feeling of her holding him. She was warm and he could remember this feeling for as long as he had been alive. Eventually he returned the hug. A few minutes passed as the two held onto each other.

A low rumble vibrated his head as it rested upon the woman's collarbone. The boy then realized that Kurenai had spoken.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't hear what you said."

Again she found herself giggling. The boy had a dreamy-sounding tone to his voice.

"I will give you my answer."

Naruto responded by trying to back away so he could look her in the eyes. However, Kurenai refused to let him go. Since she apparently wanted him to stay there, he complied and relaxed again. Upon feeling him loosen up, the woman began to speak.

"I have thought long and hard. I wondered what would happen if I said 'yes'…if I said 'no'…"

At that the boy tensed.

"You are becoming a ninja and in the eyes of Konoha, upon graduating, you are considered an adult. Even though you may graduate fairly soon, there is an age difference between us. You are mentally and physically aging faster than a normal person. By the time you are fourteen, I would suspect that you would be as capable of more than any man out there."

She let the information sink in.

"Right now I can say neither 'yes' nor 'no'."

"Then how about later?"

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"Neither your age nor your rank matters to me. Rin told me that marriage is when two people want to protect and provide for one another. Both people obviously need to care for the other and be willing to spend the rest of their lives together. There are many things that I do not understand about this whole thing. However, you have been there for me since the beginning. I am only now barely capable to be there for you. All I know is that I WANT to protect you and I WANT to be there for you. You are someone that is really precious to me and I would gladly lay my life down for you."

Whether they were tears of joy or sadness neither person knew, but Kurenai embraced the boy harder.

"Thank you Little One."

"Then may I ask you something?" he hesitantly queried.

"Go ahead."

"By the time I become a Chuunin, if you have not found someone more suitable, would you be willing to give me a chance? I will not ask you to marry me, but all I want is a chance to prove that I have become good enough for you. I think Kakashi called it courting or something. However, if you do find someone better by that time and he is NOT one of 'those' types of guys, than I will leave you be."

A pregnant silence drenched the two embracing people. Eventually Kurenai spoke.

"I can accept those terms. I have waited a long time to find someone with a heart likes yours. A few or more years won't kill me."

The boy jumped from her grasp and started cheering.

"YOSH! This is awesome!"

"_Well there went that moment…_" Kurenai humorously contemplated. "Now Little One."

He was too busy whooping to hear her. So she tried again.

"Little One?"

No response…

"NARUTO!"

He quickly sat in front of her and listened.

"Then let's make this a promise." She stated holding out her pinky. "After all, a man is only as good as his word."

{_**I like this woman already…**_} Tenshuhando commented.

Naruto followed suit and wrapped his finger around hers.

"It's a promise." They simultaneously said.

They stayed, finger-locked, for a few minutes. Neither released the other. They just simply relished in the rays of moonlight and in each other's company. As time trudged on Kurenai suddenly found herself resting against the boulder; a blond male sleeping on her shoulder. The crimson eyed beauty rested her head upon his.

-**An Hour Later**-

{_**Hey Fish Cake…wake up.**_}

"_Shut up Tenshu…I'm sleeping._"

{_**Yeah but even though you're using Kurenai as a pillow, you both might catch a cold.**_}

The boy opened his eyes and found his blade was telling the truth.

"_What should I do? I need to get back to the dorms before they lock them. I'll be in so much trouble!_"

{_**Don't panic boy. Summon me.**_}

"_Okay…_"

The double blade materialized before the couple.

{_**Grab my hilt; I believe you are ready for my second form.**_}

"Second?" Naruto thought out loud.

{_**Yes, I have a second form that is a lot easier to use then my first. Since you have progressed with my brother, you should be capable of handling the transformation.**_}

"Transformation?"

{_**Just**__**pick me up already!**_}

Once his hand surrounded the hilt, both blades folded back towards his forearm. The circular guard extended down the blades and covered his right appendage. Then, without warning, the weapon squeezed down. Naruto grunted from the pressure by remained quiet. Tenshu then began to take the form of the blond's forearm. Tribal markings engraved themselves into the steel. Within seconds the transformation was complete. Sky blue orbs scanned the arm. Tenshu had turned into a gauntlet.

"_What does this form do?_"

{_**Pick up your princess and take her home.**_}

"_How can I do that? She's twice my size._"

{_**Are you calling her fat?**_}

"_NO!_" Naruto quickly tried to switch the conversation. "_So what exactly does this allow me to do?_"

{_**Focus chakra into the gauntlet. Then pick her up, take her home, and put her to bed.**_}

The ninja-hopeful listened to his blades words. Chakra visibly surrounded his right arm. Suddenly the silver covering pulsed and began to slither up the limb and across his chest. Eventually his entire torso and left arm was covered by the tribal-decorated armor. As gently as he could, he moved Kurenai's head into the crook of his neck and lifted her bridal style. It was a rather silly image seeing the boy carrying the older woman.

"_So your second form gives me strength?_"

{_**Yep, and when you get strong enough, you might even rival Tsunade's legendary strength.**_}

"_How do you know about Tsunade?_"

{_**Dear boy, all of nine of us weapons are symbiotic. We become one with our wielder. We share memories, feelings, and all that other stuff.**_}

"_I see…_"

Naruto took the route he always did to get to his old home. Thank to Tenshu, the stunning female in his arms weighed almost nothing. As he ascended the stairs she lightly purred in her sleep and nuzzled closer. By the time the apartment door came into view, Kurenai had curled up so much that it was difficult to hold her properly. Naruto then attempted to open the door with his foot. For any normal person, this task would prove to be difficult; however, within seconds the door glided open. The lights were off and from the steady breathing of the apartment's occupants, Naruto could tell they were all asleep. He did not wait for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. Over the years, the boy had become extremely familiar with how many steps and in which direction he needed to travel to reach his destination.

"Kure-hime, we made it to your bedroom."

She grunted softly, refusing to return to the land of the conscious. Sighing, the male hesitantly opened her bedroom door. Stepping in, he was greeted by a rather unpredictable sight. One would think for a woman her age, that she would be a very tidy person. All of those assumptions were shot to pieces as Naruto gazed upon the room. Clothes littered one corner while scrolls occupied another. Royal purple bed sheets had been left clumped at the foot of the bed.

"_Kurenai…you don't even make your bed?_ _She isn't as neat as she used to be._" He thought.

Gently he laid her upon the bed, pulled the sheets over her body, and turned to leave. A hand suddenly gripped tightly onto the back of his shirt. Naruto's attention returned to the crimson-eyed beauty. The hand moved from his clothing to his hand. Relinquishing control over the appendage gave the sleeping woman the ability to grasp tightly onto his pinky.

"It's a promise…" she lazily whispered.

"Of course, Kure-hime…I will keep my promise to you."

Upon hearing the reply, the sleeping woman smiled slightly and sighed.

"_I can't believe she does this in her sleep._"

Naruto kissed her hand, placed it beside her, and left. After all, he had school tomorrow.

"Kageshin." The master called.

{_**Hai?**_}

"I think it is time to really amp things up."

{_**Gladly…**_}

-**The Next Morning**-

Naruto and Lee were rushing to class, clothes in a mess and hair unbelievably wild. The poor males had only five hours of sleep the night before. They had stayed up a significant portion of the night to create a training regime (one that would force both males to their limits).

"_Where are those boys?_" Iruka contemplated.

In that instant, the blond knucklehead burst through the doors; panting heavily. Lee soon followed suit.

"FORGIVE ME SENSEI!" the bushy-browed kid yelled.

"It's alright. Just take your seats. I was just about to start today's lesson anyway."

Like the many lessons before, the children would sit quietly and some were even brave enough (or lazy enough in Shikamaru's case) to fall asleep. Once the lesson was complete, Iruka took the children outside and gave them a little recess (they are technically still kids). This allowed them to stretch and rejuvenate for another long lesson. Lee walked over to Naruto.

"YOSH! NARUTO! I CAN'T WAIT TO START TRAINING TONIGHT!" the boy yelled.

"Keep it down! Only you and me are suppose to know about it. We both need to get strong, graduate, and prove ourselves to the entire shinobi world."

"YOSH!"

Lee took off running around the area. The blond smacked his forehead before chasing after his roommate. It soon became a game of one on one tag. Lee would usually win, but it was always fun to play while training.

Three sets of eyes watched the ninja-wannabes. Iruka soon walked up to them and waited patiently for them to break the ice.

"Maito-san, which ones would you like to possibly train in the future?"

The taijutsu master thought for a moment before quietly saying.

"Rock Lee has a passion for the art. I want to make his dream come true. I would also like to train that girl with her hair in two buns."

"Her name is Ten-ten." Iruka answered. "She seems to have taken an interest in weaponry."

"And what about the third one?" a sweet voice inquired.

"That little- I mean Naruto. I WILL TEACH HIM HOW TO WIN LIKE A TRUE MAN!"

"You're still bitter about losing to him…" Kakashi stated more than asked.

"…NO!"

"_Denial_…" the other three ninja thought.

"What about you Yuuhi-san?" the spandex-clad ninja inquired.

"The female Hyuuga, the Nara boy, and possibly the boy from the bug user-clan."

"Shino is the last one's name."

"Why is that?" Kakashi interjected. "The parents of the Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji would not appreciate breaking up the traditional family trio."

"I know, but Hinata would be a good asset as a medical and support role. Shino, from what I have heard about the clan, will most like have a great recon and defensive ability. Genius nearly runs in the Nara family. Tacticians of their caliber would be essential for a recon team."

"What about you my eternal rival?"

"Hmm…I am…undecided…"

Kurenai and Iruka sweat-dropped and Gai was infuriated.

"Curse your hip and cool attitude Kakashi!"

The silver-haired male just ignored the man and continued to read his book.

"Well, I guess we will all have to wait to see how these children develop."

Crimson eyes focused on one boy in particular. Upon feeling the eyes of another on him, Naruto turned to face the source. Determination flashed across his face and a smile covered his countenance. She returned the smile with equal vigor. Naruto moved his hand up and held out his pinky. Understanding the gesture, she followed suit.

"_Become a great man Little One, and I will do my best to become a woman worthy of your affection._"

The blond was thinking along the same lines.

"_I will become greater than all those sorry-excuse for a man. I will prove myself to you._"

* * *

**Author:**** There ya go folks. I am so sorry about the abnormally long update period. Curse my inability to figure out how to handle the situation. Lol Anyway, thanks again to Tristan76 and ****inuyasha838688 (who has been my inspiration behind the scenes). Like always, feel free to comment, make suggestions, tell me constructive criticism, etc. I look forward to your reviews and I pray I will be able to get the next chapter out quicker and better than this one. Until next time, Peace!**


	6. To Remain Sane

**Author****: Thank you again for all the reviews. And just so everyone knows, I did go back and change the ages so that they fit properly with the story. I have no idea how I managed to mess the ages up so horribly. Truth be told, I excel at math. I think the problem was that I mistyped the ages in chapter 4 and then I went off based upon those. I made SURE this time that the ages are correct and I am sorry for the confusion/frustration. Now to answer the questions:**

**Xen Kenshin****: **_There will be fight scenes. The way I prefer to make my stories are through creating and developing the character's personalities and skills before having any intense action scenes or fighting. So as you can probably figure out, I am establishing the background information and giving my readers the general picture of how each character reacts to one another, how mature they are emotional and physically, etc. Thank you for the question. I always am happy to answer any inquiries you or any other reader may have._

**See why reviews are important? It's to help authors, like me, when they have a brain-fart and totally mess something up. Thank you again for letting me know of my mistake. Now on with the story!**

**Disclaimer****: I do not own anything associated with Naruto, because even if I did, there is no way I could make it as awesome as it is.**

* * *

"Talking"

"_Thinking_"

Jutsu

{_**Demon or Summon Speech in Mental Realm**_}

"**Demon or Summon Speech in Physical Realm**"

-**Scene or Time Change**-

* * *

**Current Ages:**

Kakashi and Rin: 21

Iruka and Kurenai: 18

Naruto: 6 (with body of a nine year old)

* * *

_Chapter 6_

**To Remain Sane**

Six months had passed since that revealing night. Naruto and Lee drastically changed in terms of strength. The thick-browed boy was well known as the fastest genin, and his blond roommate gained a similar reputation in the department of power. There was no Academy student, even the Akimichi, which could match him. Naruto could even give almost all the genin in Konoha a run for their money.

In other news, Kakashi and Rin's wedding date crept up on everyone. Even said bride and groom were not fully aware until the week before. Naruto had asked to be the best man (even though he had no clue what that meant). At first he had refused and said that Iruka should play the part. The scarred teacher stated that he was the one that would be giving the bride away and walking her down the aisle. On the other hand, Kurenai had been asked to be the Maid of Honor. Said crimson eyed beauty thought it was just one of Rin's plans to tease her. After all, the sight of a full grown woman, being walked down the aisle by a three and a half foot child would be comical to witness.

The day of the ceremony arrived. Kakashi, nervous as ever, paced the room; almost leaving an indent in the floor.

"Kakashi?"

"Yes Naruto?" the elder male stopped pacing.

"Why are you walking back and forth? Are you scarred?"

"No, I'm nervous…"

"The strongest ninja in Konoha is nervous?"

"You wouldn't understand Blondie."

The boy pouted at the 'insult'.

"I may not get this whole marriage thing, but still. You both care for each other, right?"

Kakashi nodded, intrigued by where this boy was going.

"You asked her to spend the rest of your lives together, protect her, and provide for her, right?"

Another nod signaled him to continue.

"And she said yes, right?" another nod and the blond finished, "Then what do you have to worry about?"

"Excuse me?"

"She said yes. Isn't that all that matters?"

Instantly the jounin flopped into a chair and sighed. He was right. A six-year old had put him in his place.

"Simplicity…I have been over-thinking this whole thing. Thanks Naruto-kun."

The male visibly relaxed and as time moved on, Kakashi was getting more excited.

-**Twenty Minutes Later**-

Music pierced the air as the groomsmen and bridesmaids proceeded onto the stage. Flashes of light blinded all those in the procession, but no one faltered or fell. When Naruto and Kurenai appeared, people snickered to themselves before the camera flashes assaulted the couple. The young boy was just tall enough to be able to loop his arm around hers without it looking awkward. Once they reached the halfway mark, Naruto decided to whisper to the woman.

"You look really pretty today Kure-hime." A blush adorned his face.

She was slightly taken back by his words. In her eyes, the maroon cocktail dress was rather simplistic and regular. It wrapped around her shoulders, hugged her sides, and flowed down to her knees. There was not anything too outlandish or special about it. She wore little make-up, and her jewelry was at the bare minimum. Kurenai thought she looked just like all the other bridesmaids. After all, she could not stand out more than the bride. It was taboo.

However, her blond 'date' thought otherwise.

"Thank you Little One. You are looking quite handsome." A light smile graced her ruby red lips

Naruto was wearing a black, pinstripe suit. A silver tie contrasted against an inverse-colored pinstripe vest. As they reached the stage, Naruto was a tad reluctant to release her. No one noticed due to the fact that the bride had just begun to ascend the aisle.

-**Five Minutes Later**-

Kakashi (still wearing his mask) turned to face Rin. Each placed a ring on the other's hand.

"I present to all here, Kakashi and Rin Hatake. Kakashi, you may kiss the bride."

Both shinobi closed the distance; Rin beginning to pull down his mask.

"DYNAMIC ENTREE!"

The double doors in the back of the room burst from their hinges and a loud voice exclaimed.

"KAKASHI! I MUST HAVE MISUNDERSTOOD THE TIME OF THE WEDDING!"

Maito Gai stopped mid-step. Everyone's eyes were upon the taijutsu master; distain clearly visible upon their faces. Kurenai and Naruto were use to the man, so they completely ignored him and focused on the kissing couple.

"_So that is what Kakashi's face looks like…_" the two onlookers thought.

Naruto looked over at the female and then back to the kissing pair. The look on his face clearly stated: 'What are they doing?' His naivety was something else. Kurenai returned with: 'when you're older…' Upon receiving that message, Naruto sighed.

"_They are always saying that to me…_"

As Gai was being thrown out of the building, Naruto pulled out a camera from nowhere, and took the only picture of the sealing kiss.

-**One Hour Later**-

The after party started without delay and many of the guests had gone home. Naruto began to get sleepy and eventually rested his head upon his date's shoulder. Within seconds he was unconscious. Rin walked over to Kurenai.

"It seems the little guy had a rough day." The newly-wed stated.

"Yea…"

"Well, I have a honeymoon to attend. Kakashi and Iruka are delivering the gifts to our house. You can just put them in our room."

"Okay. You said you'll be gone for how long again?"

"Two weeks. My hubby is taking me to the Tea Country. They have open-air hot springs, massage parlors, dango shops… I'm getting the royal treatment!"

"Alright alright, no need to brag. Just make sure that I don't become an aunt too quickly now."

Rin blushed furiously, but countered.

"Well my man knows how to kiss properly at least."

Now it was Kurenai's turn to redden.

"That's saying a lot even though he was a few months old." The woman commented quietly.

"So you DO acknowledge it was a kiss?" the older woman giggled at her victory.

"_Damn…I walked right into that one._" Kurenai huffed, a little irritated.

"Alright, I need to get going. Got places to go, relaxation to experience…" she paused before whispering to her closest friend, "and a man to tame."

Once again the Chuunin found herself blushing.

"Just go already!" she stuck out her tongue, retaining what little dignity she possessed.

After Kakashi and Rin left, the genjutsu mistress picked up the blond male and heading towards the Academy.

-**Four Years Later**-

Naruto was finishing up his training for the day. Lee had long finished and gone to eat dinner. The training ground lay in disaster. Trees had been uprooted, rocks pulverized into dusk, and grass turned to a black crisp.

{_**Hey fishcake.**_}

"_What do you need Kageshin?_"

{_**Shouldn't you be getting some rest? Your graduation test is tomorrow.**_}

"_I will be going to bed soon. Tenshu and I have a few techniques we need to practice_."

{_**Alright. I will give you an hour. Any more than that and you may not be able to get out of bed.**_}

"_Thank you._"

-**The Next Day**-

Naruto woke to the sound of Lee whooping. His excitement for the genin exam was ruining the blond's morning already.

"Lee…" the roommate moaned, clearly exasperated, "keep it down. I'm trying to sleep."

"But Naruto! The graduation exam is in ten minutes. I can't wait to get to class!"

Unconsciousness was about to claim the ten-year-old until reality hit him.

"TEN MINUTES!"

Bed sheets flew into the air. Clothes soon followed. Naruto decided he would try on his new attire that had been purchased a few weeks ago. Hastily, a black spandex shirt was put on. A black, sleeveless vest followed next. He quickly closed the four metallic clasps that adorned the front. Each clasp was attached to a strap that wrapped around his torso; easily securing a giant, crimson scabbard upon his back. However, the sheath did not possess a sword. Lee found this odd, but decided to not voice his thoughts. Midnight blue pants were held up buy a black leather belt. Upon said belt contained a belt buckle; fashioned into the shape of a silver wolf. Its lips pulled back into a ferocious snarl, almost daring anyone to challenge it.

"Naruto-kun! Don't forget your shoes!" the dark-haired male called.

"I am not going to use shoes anymore. Come on Lee. We need to get to the exam. Race ya!" Naruto stated before running down the hall.

"YOSH!"

Lee was soon in pursuit. Both ninja-wannabes sped down the hallway, out of the dorms, and across the courtyard of the Academy. Eventually, Naruto jumped through the open classroom window. Quickly he closed it. A few seconds later, the blond's roommate smacked into the pane of glass and slowly slid down the length of it. Naruto laughed until Iruka struck him on the head.

"Don't do that to Lee!" the Chuunin screamed, "What if he hurt himself!"

After his yelling spout. All the spectators assessed the blond's new attire. It looked cool, but it would probably cooler once he grew a little more. Not that he needed to grow any more. Naruto already stood a head or two above his classmates. The boy was easily five feet tall with light hair. The golden locks reached halfway down his neck. It was wild and gave the male a feral/animalistic look. Naruto broke their train of thought by shouting out the window.

"Hey Lee! Get up! A taijutsu master should be able to take such a small collision." The boy said opening the window.

"YOU ARE CORRECT NARUTO-KUN! By the way, well played. I had not expected you to close the window. I should be paying more attention to my surroundings."

"See? He's fine."

The scarred man sighed, shaking his head in the process. When would Naruto learn? Once the two new arrivals sat down, Iruka started explaining the process of the exam.

"Now this year will be different that what use to take place for the graduation exam. We have five jounin-level ninja visiting us today. They will be the proctors for the test. One will test you in Ninjutsu, another in Genjutsu, the third will be in Taijutsu, and another will test you in Kenjutsu."

A girl raised her hand and waved it vigorously.

"Yes Ten-Ten?" the teacher asked.

"What will the fifth jounin be testing us in? You already covered the four basic ninja techniques."

"If any of you manage to pass the test given by each jounin, the fifth will confront you in a one-on-one battle."

Gasps and whispers quickly erupted from the classroom. After two minutes of trying to calm the children, Iruka activated his special jutsu. After three seals were completed, the man's head and voice grew to ridiculous proportions.

"**SILENCE**!"

Everyone instantly returned to their seats. The teacher's head returned to normal within seconds.

"Thank you. Now, the final battle will be monitored by the Hokage himself. He will make the final decision about graduating from the Academy."

"Iruka?" the same girl from before inquired.

"Yes Ten-Ten?"

"Will you be watching too?"

"Sadly, I will not be able to watch your tests. However, I do not care whether you pass or fail. All I want you to do: is try your hardest. Upon starting this exam, I will have to leave. Those five jounin will be entering soon. Be on your best behavior children. It was an honor to teach you all."

"WE'LL PASS FOR SURE IRUKA-SENSEI!" Lee yelled saluting the older male.

Naruto followed his loud roommate. Suddenly every student stood and saluted the man. Iruka smiled, saluted, exited, and prayed they would all succeed.

{_**Fishcake!**_} Tenshu alerted his wielder.

"_Yeah_"

{_**Someone is in the room with us…whoever he or she is, their chakra is powerful. Probably the first proctor.**_}

"_But Iruka said Ninjutsu was first._"

{_**No he didn't. He said that one proctor would test you in each of the four categories. Iruka never gave a specific order to the test.**_}

"_Where is the person?_"

Naruto sniffed once…twice.

"_Perfume…it's a woman. And she is…THERE!_"

The blond jumped from his seat at the back of the classroom. Iruka's desk was blasted to splinters upon the impact of his fist. A dark shadow slithered along the floor until away from its attacker. Eventually the darkness crept up from the floor. A woman with long purple hair soon appeared.

"I guess you will be my first victim."

Before Naruto could react, his world disappeared. A bleak darkness was all that welcomed his senses. Even though he could not see, the boy was able to tell that his location had been changed. He no longer felt the wood of the classroom floor under his feet. What he did feel was the sensation of grass, still wet from the morning dew. Once again, the female jounin appeared. Five more of her soon materialized, forming a circle.

"So, what is your name little boy?"

{_**Does everyone want a beating? Even I am starting to hate that word!**_} Tenshu yelled, clearly frustrated.

{_**Brother, I don't think anyone will learn from mere words. It's a taboo word for Fishcake. They will figure it out once he beats the crap out of them.**_}

"What did you say?" the questioned erupted from his throat in a low growl.

"You hard of hearing boy?" the woman foolishly taunted. "What… is… your… name… LITTLE… BOY!"

"I heard you perfectly. I just wanted to see if you were brave enough to dig your grave even deeper."

"What? Are you threatening me? I am in total control in this place. I create reality and bend it to my will."

The blond ignored the woman and prepared himself for the cancelation technique.

"_The most basic technique to dispel a genjutsu is to stop the flow of my chakra._"

{_**Or you can just overload the attackers control by flaring your chakra, therefore making it harder for your opponent to control it.**_} Kageshin announced.

"_I prefer option two._"

Lowering his head, the boy began to focus a good portion of chakra into his chest cavity. There, it was condensed until it could be compressed no further.

{_**Brother, what is he doing?**_} Kageshin asked.

{_**He is taking the fundamentals of your Kiloton Slash and applying it to dispelling the genjutsu. The genius is condensing his chakra and is then going to unleash it all at once. This will create a shockwave of powerfully condensed energy.**_}

On cue, Naruto released his control over the dense ball of energy. The azure chakra burst from his body. Scorch marks littered the grass below, and the eerie blackness suddenly shattered to reveal the Academy courtyard. Four of the clones also vanished from site. Heavy, labored breaths escaped the boy's mouth. The remaining chakra that resided in the air fluttered around its owner. The jounin quickly tried to re-establish another genjutsu.

"_Why isn't it working!_" she yelled frustrated.

It was then she noticed the dense chakra floating in the air.

"_I can't establish my jutsu because I can't control that dense chakra. What is this technique?_"

While the woman stood shocked at the revelation, Naruto moved his arm behind his back, grabbing the long sheath behind him.

"_Tenshu, second form._"

{_**Hai master…**_}

Silver liquid flowed from the sheath and onto the appendage. Toes ground themselves into the soft dirt. With a burst of speed, Naruto was upon the perplexed woman. He propelled his first forward. She had barely anytime to respond. In a desperate attempt to block, she moved his forearm between the fist and herself. The other hand was placed behind the defending arm; giving her a little more protection.

"Welcome to your grave…" the words barely audible to his opponent's ears.

"_WHAT?_" the jounin yelled.

It was then she noticed the silver color to the boy's arm. The closer the fist came to contact, the more fear entered her heart. A resounding snap echoed throughout the clearing. The bone in her arm had been broken; at least in three places. Her body was rocket through the air and impacted the wall surrounding the Academy. Spider-web cracks formed around her body. Eventually the wall gave in to the stress. It collapsed upon itself, burying the jounin. Naruto then walked away and back into the classroom. Once he entered, the young male noticed half of his class was gone. Lee saw the confusion and informed the blond.

"We all passed the first exam."

-**Back at the Courtyard**-

Rin lifted the last piece of rubble from her jounin friend.

"Yuugao, I told you not to call him little."

"I didn't know he was that strong. And what was with that gauntlet?"

Rin paused in lifting her friend.

"Gauntlet?"

"Yeah." Yuugao confirmed cradling her broken arm. "He did a number on me with that thing."

Rin's hand hummed with calming green color. The other female remained completely still as the bone reset and healed.

"So you said Naruto was wearing a gauntlet?"

"How many times do I need to tell you?"

"I was just making sure I heard you right." Rin finished her administration. "_Where did he get that gauntlet from?_"

Yuugao thanked her friend before trying to leave.

"Wait. Was there anything particular that you noticed about the weapon?"

"Um…well the only thing I can think of is that: One second he didn't have it then the next second he did. I never saw him equip it."

"I see…thanks Yuugao. Be gentle with that arm. It is still a bit weak."

The jounin nodded before shushining away.

"Interesting…a gauntlet that appears instantaneously. What else are you hiding from me Naruto."

-**Back with Naruto**-

Naruto watched as the number of children decreased over time. Suddenly a tall man, wearing green spandex, jumped into the room via the door.

"Come my youthful test taker! I shall-" Gai stopped upon seeing that the blond kid was the only one left to test in taijutsu.

"Hello Gai-san." the boy viciously grinned. "Shall we get started?"

The boy launched from his chair, leading off with a kick towards the head. Gai easily countered with a block with his left arm and a palm strike to Naruto's stomach. His small body rocketed back, bouncing off the desks, and chairs. After everything settled, Naruto stood. Using his arm, he wiped the blood that had drip down from his mouth.

"There we go. Time for round two."

Naruto dashed at the older male. Once he reached two feet away, the boy vanished. Gai sensed movement below him and made a quick stomp with his right foot. This left his legs spread enough for Naruto to make his move. After narrowly dodging the stomp. Naruto used his right hand to support his weight and then kicked out with both legs. The blond's left foot shot Gai's right forward, while the right heel sent the older male's left foot backwards. Quickly, the ten-year-old spun to a standing position and back-flipped across the room. He watched in satisfaction as Gai performed a split. Upon impact with the floor, the man screamed and fell over, temporarily paralyzed.

"Now, now Gai-san…I want a better spar than last time. If you want to regain your pride, I'll be waiting for round three outside."

Naruto jumped from the room, closing the window on his way out. The taunt sent the jounin into a pained frenzy. He struggled to pick himself off the floor. Using his strong sense of justice, Gai leapt after Naruto. However, he had forgotten the window was closed. A loud smack and screeching sound soon perforated the air.

"Really? I got Lee with that, but I did not expect a jounin to do it… Then again it is Gai-san."

Suddenly the window shattered, along with bits of the wall.

"NARUTO-KUN!" the man screamed, fire erupted from his eyes. "I WILL CORRECT YOUR UNYOUTHFULNESS!"

"About time!"

Naruto reach for the clasps on the front of his shirt. Once he undid the last one, the sheath (and the vest) slid off and created a crater in the ground. Gai looked on in fascination, but quickly turned serious. The blond was already upon him. Both males blocked each other's punch and landed battling for dominance. Due to the height difference, Naruto was at a big disadvantage. A swift kick was sent towards ribs. The jounin released the fist to block the kick. This gave the ninja-hopeful enough time to get in a strike. However, when his fist hit the man's stomach, it stopped dead in its tracks. A small snap was heard.

"_Did I just punch a stone wall? Crap I broke my finger._"

{_**Don't worry master, I will fix it.**_} Kageshin stated.

The boy spun around and kicked out with his left leg. This made Gai release and jump away from the blond. Though the punch earlier did not hurt too much. The boy obviously had more strength in his legs. At least from what he could tell from the speed his opponent was capable of. Both males regained their footing.

"_Tenshu!_" Naruto called punching both of his fists together.

The silver liquid spread from his right arm to his left. Naruto struck them together once more, producing a tiny shockwave.

"_Where did those gauntlets come from?_"

"Now the real fight begins."

Naruto charged forward. Gai was ready. The first punch was thrown, but was deflected. The elder male grimaced as the gauntlet glanced his side. A small amount of pain entered the man's senses.

"_I need to use more strength to deflect his blows. If that would have connected, my ribs would have been broken._"

One punch turned into two, then into five, and eventually all four arms became a mere blur.

"_His attacks seem random, but they have a feeling of uniformity. What style is this?_" the man inquired while deflecting another few strikes.

Suddenly Naruto slammed his left foot into the ground. The earth gave way and formed a small dent into the surface. Both fists were held by the boy's side. Suddenly the left fist came up into an uppercut motion towards Gai's stomach. Seeing the path, Gai slammed both hands down onto the fist. The power from the hit lifted the male about eight inches off the ground. Naruto followed up by repeated his attack with his right side. However, this time, the hit connected with the man's stomach; fist twisting into the hardened abdominal muscles.

"Such power…" the man whispered as saliva and a little blood flew from his mouth.

Gai soon found himself skipping across the ground. After the fifth bounce, an arm shot out and stopped his movement.

"Good hit Naruto-kun. You're taijutsu is decent for your age, but you are not strong enough to beat me in taijutsu."

The hand to hand combat specialist appeared before the blonde. A quick kick to the blond's sternum sent the boy crashing through the school and back into the classroom. He was out cold.

Lee greeted his roommate upon regaining consciousness.

"YOSH! NARUTO-KUN! It appears only ten of us are left!"

What the dark haired boy said was true. There were nine other people beside him. One of them he recognized as Ten-ten; the others he had not cared to get to know.

"What two tests have you done Lee?"

"I have done the kenjutsu and genjutsu. You?"

"Genjutsu and taijutsu. I am wondering who will be awaiting me in my next test."

"Your next test Uzumaki is ninjutsu. Follow me." A new voice broke the air.

"Hello Kakashi-san." The boy politely stated.

The silver-haired man grabbed the boy and disappeared in a swirl of leaves. Once gaining his bearings, Naruto found himself in a giant forest.

"Now, let's see how-"

Kakashi was not given much time to dodge the giant ball of fire.

"You little punk…" a tic mark appeared on the man's head.

"You and I both know that I have no time to waste. I have an exam to pass."

"Of course…Doton: Doryuudon!"

A dragon of earth burst from the ground, instantly firing off shards of rock. Said shards ripped through Naruto's body, but he turned into a plume of smoke.

"_Kage Bushin! Where did he learn that?_"

As if hearing the man's thoughts, the younger male informed him.

"I have seen you use it enough to figure it out. It was the only way you could get away from Rin to go buy your porn books."

Ten clones of the blond descended upon the man.

"Kaze no yaiba! Variation!" an eleventh Naruto appeared in the middle of the clones.

Kakashi watched as the boy moved his hands behind himself. A blast of wind shot the boy at a breakneck speed.

"_He's using the wind technique to increase his speed in mid-air. Impressive._"

The man jumped away just as the boy was about to land. He watched in amazement as the ground buckled and bent in on itself. A large crater formed upon impact.

"This might take some time…" Kakashi sighed heavily.

-**Thirty Minutes Later**-

Both males were standing in a clearing much larger than the one they had first arrived in. That is due to how much destruction they had both caused. Trees had been uprooted, grassed burned to reveal the brown dirt below. Kakashi was hunched over, breathing heavily while trying to support himself on his knees.

"It seems you have gotten better."

"So have you…"

Naruto was in a worse condition.

"If this wasn't just a ninjutsu test, I would have lost a long time ago." The boy spoke.

"Still, you are very good for you age. I hope you make it to the fifth battle."

With that said, Kakashi watched as the blond collapsed. The man smiled, picked up the boy, and disappeared. Once he reached the Academy, the fourth Jounin greeted him.

"Yo Kakashi-san."

"Hey H**agane-san. Give the boy an hour. He'll be good as new and ready for the weaponry test. **How did Ten-ten do?"

"My daughter passed with flying colors. She knew almost every trick in the book. I definitely taught her well." The man smiled.

-**An Hour Later**-

Naruto woke to a poking sensation. As he became more aware, the poking turned to a painful prodding in his face. Then one heavy smack brought him to full awareness. A man with black hair held a sword over his shoulder. The hilt's bottom facing the blond's head.

"What the heck was that for?" the younger of the two questioned rubbing his forehead.

"It's time for your fourth test. Prepare yourself Uzumaki."

Without another word exchanged, Naruto leaped away from the man and reached for the giant sheath on his back. His hand; however, grasped onto nothing.

"Where is my…"

Then he remembered. The item in question had been removed during his battle with Gai.

"Looking for this boy?" the unknown man questioned.

In his possession was the sheath Naruto had been looking for.

"It's quite heavy…you think you can fight with this on."

Naruto just glared at the man. Surprise covered his countenance as the sheath was thrown to him. Instantly all the clasps sealed themselves and the blond welcomed the familiar weight.

"Kageshin, you're up…" the whisper was not heard by the opponent.

{_**Hai master. This man is going to be difficult; his stance is that of a master-class.**_}

"Then let's do the best we can."

Kageshin's hilt materialized into the sheath, and with one quick pull, was removed. The black blade glistened in the sun.

"A Nodachi? Interesting weapon for an Academy student."

"Can we get this over with, I have another battle I need to attend."

"Do not focus too much on the future Uzumaki. It may cost you the present."

"I will take that into consideration Master-class-san." Naruto nodded.

"You are very observant."

"Enough talking, let our blades do the talking."

"I couldn't agree more." The bigger male stated smiling.

Naruto swung the blade down already expecting the jounin to charge forward. His guess proved right as a spray of sparks littered the air. They sat there for a moment, fighting for dominance. The sword master easily diverted the nodachi into the ground.

{_**Fishcake!**_ _**He has a second sword!**_} Tenshu called.

He was right. The man had a second sword attached to his left side. Upon noticing the blade still tucked into it sheath, the man pulled it and swiped horizontally. Since Naruto had no way of dodging successfully, he released Kageshin and jumped back. His shirt taking all the damage.

"_Man! I just got these new clothes!_"

"It is foolish to leave your weapon in the care of the enemy."

The younger male paid the man no heed. Reaching into his kunai pouch, he unleashed five of them at his opponent. Hagane attempted to lift the nodachi, but halted. Upon grabbing the hilt, he noticed something odd about the weapon. The more he thought, the more he couldn't figure it out.

"It would be dishonorable to use my opponent's blade." He finally whispered more to himself.

Hagane jumped back, avoiding the kunai completely. Naruto took that instance to appear next to his blade.

"_What happened Kageshin?_"

{_**He said it would be dishonorable to use his opponent's blade. I think he is a sword smith too. His grip felt strong and battle worn. I believe this man might have figured out something about me.**_}

"_Well let's focus on the battle for now._"

"Come boy, I want to see what you are capable of…"

Naruto ripped Kageshin from the ground and charged forward. Sparks flew, small cuts were received on both people, and Naruto was wearing down quickly.

"I don't know how much more I can take." The boy blatantly stated aloud.

"Then let's finish this with one last attack."

Both swordsmen nodded. Hagane brought sheathed both blades; one on his right, the other on his left. He pumped a lot of chakra into the swords and clicked them from their confinements. All the while, Naruto raised Kageshin above his head.

"Tsuinryuu: Heddohanto!"

"Kiloton Slash!"

Hagane drew both blades and swung them in an x pattern. Naruto brought his sword down with all his might. Both attacks tore the ground to shreds, and upon meeting, exploded in a shockwave of chakra and debris. The world flashed to white and then all was still. When Naruto's eyes focused, he found himself standing next to Lee and Ten-Ten. All four proctors were before them and the Hokage himself was there. The eldest male spoke, his voice rumbling with pride.

"Congratulations on becoming genin." The Hokage stated with a smile. "From now on you will be known as team ten, and your jounin sensei will be Maito Gai."

"_Just great…_" Naruto thought sighing.

"YOSH!" Lee exclaimed.

"_Why me? That green spandex suit will haunt me forever._"

Naruto decided to voice his opinion.

"What about the fifth battle?"

"Excuse me?" Sarutobi blinked a couple times in confusion.

"The fifth battle Iruka-sensei told us about. Who do we get to fight?"

"_Of course Naruto would want to fight._" Kakashi sighed, but smiled.

"Um…there really wasn't going to be a fifth fight. It was a tactic to motivate you."

"Damn! I want my fifth fight!" the boy complained pouting.

"Alright, if you are so eager to have a fifth one, then I will fight you." The Hokage chuckled.

Naruto stared at the man as if he was crazy.

"But you're…um…old!"

Everyone face planted. Sarutobi was quick to recover.

"I may be old but I-"

"Boring!" the blond interrupted. "Let's fight!"

Naruto hastened into a stance and charged. The elderly man was forced to quickly discard his robes and adorn his battle gear. Naruto jumped high into the air and initiated a sequence of hand seals. A large plume of smoke burst from his body, effectively covering his attack. Suddenly a section of the cloud lunged forward. Before Sarutobi knew it, a beautiful blond woman fell on him. The weight of the girl slammed him to the ground and knocked the wind out of him. Maito Gai's jaw dropped the ground, Kakashi merely blushed, and Yuugao just stood in a stupor. Hagane shook his head and covered the other two genin's eyes.

"Oh Hokage-sama…" the woman purred. "Thank you so much for catching me."

Said ninja finally looked at the blond woman. Blood rose to his face and elsewhere. Sitting upon his chest was a naked woman, with her assets precariously covered by a thin layer of smoke. Her eyes were a deep blue and her body was an eighteen on a scale from one to ten.

"_Damn smoke!_" he thought.

"For catching me, I will give you the royal treatment!" the vixen purred again with a mischievous glint to her eyes.

That was the final push. Blood erupted from the man's nose and he soon lost consciousness. A puff of smoke covered the beauty and Naruto stepped out with a peace sign.

"Oiroke no Jutsu was a success." He smirked. "Naruto two, Hokage zero!"

"_Wait…Naruto has beaten the Hokage twice now?_" everyone thought.

The boy continued to smile, before looking at his pinky.

"_Just you wait Kure-hime. I have one more rank to go now._"

* * *

**Author:**** Well there you guys go! Another chapter! Please review and let me know what ya thought. Like always, review, give suggestions, and ask questions. I always enjoy hearing from you and hope you will all continue to read my story. I especially hope you like the 5000/almost 6000 word chapter. Well until next time, Ja Ne!**


	7. Do Not Leave Me

**Author****: Thanks for all the awesome reviews. I really appreciate them.**

**I am sorry it has taken me so long to update. I have just gotten done with my college finals so my schedule has hopefully opened up more. This will allow me more time to get my story-writing done. Once again I apologize for my lack of updating.**

**I got a few questions about the jounin named Yuugo. I was trying to find that purple-haired ANBU that is actually in the series, but I could not remember her name nor find her no matter how long I tried. Would you, the reader's prefer if she was the actual character that so eluded me or do you not care either way?**

**Disclaimer****: I do not own anything associated with Naruto, because even if I did, there is no way I could make it as awesome as it is.**

* * *

"Talking"

"_Thinking_"

Jutsu

{_**Demon or Summon Speech in Mental Realm**_}

"**Demon or Summon Speech in Physical Realm**"

-**Scene or Time Change**-

* * *

**Current Ages:**

Kakashi and Rin: 25

Iruka and Kurenai: 22

Naruto: 10 (with body of a fourteen year old)

* * *

_Chapter 7_

**Do Not Leave Me**

Naruto had become a genin only a month ago. Gai's training was intense and the D-rank missions were absolutely terrible. The boy walked down the street, his bare feet barely making a sound. Gai had dismissed the team only to go off training, Lee eagerly followed the jounin.

"I won't be surprised if Lee starts wearing green spandex and shouting about youth. Just as long as he doesn't get that stupid bowl hair cut…"

A giggle broke his thoughts. Blue eyes shifted to the corner of their sockets. Crimson eyes stared right back. A gentle fragrance assaulted him, and he visibly relaxed.

"Kure-hime…" Naruto whispered with a gentle smile.

"Hello Little One." The beautiful woman greeted. "My, how much are you going to grow? In a couple months or so I might be looking up to you."

It was true. Naruto was almost capable of looking Kurenai right in the eye. His chin easily reached her collarbone. After measuring him with her hand, she analyzed his attire.

"_An empty nodachi sheath_, _an armor-like vest with four silver clasps_, _black spandex undershirt, dark blue pants, black belt with silver buckle. A wolf?_" she pondered then spoke aloud,"No shoes?

"I learned that sandals can prevent you from being able to feel your surroundings. It allows me to feel the vibrations in the grounds and many other things. It also sometimes helps me be able to detect genjutsu. Plus I prefer to run around without shoes."

"I see."

The two began to walk in silence. A ramen stand came into view and simultaneously both ninja's stomachs rumbled.

"Ramen?" the blond questioned, hopeful she would agree.

"Only if you behave yourself."

Naruto knew what she was implying. Last time, the blond had overenthusiastically devoured ten bowls of ramen. He had the decency to blush in embarrassment.

"Okay…I'll try."

Kurenai smiled. Upon reaching the stall, Naruto called out.

"OLD MAN! I require some grub!"

"Well if it ain't my best customer. How's it going Fishcake-kun?"

Naruto slapped his head; his two symbiotic blades had laughed. After the laughter had died down, the boy glared at the kind old man.

"Oh, I didn't mean any harm Naruto. Tell ya what, I'll give ya a bowl on da house."

"REALLY? You rock old man!"

Kurenai, smiled at the elderly gentlemen and mouthed a thank-you. He gave a nod in reply. Since he was done teasing the boy, he turned his attention to woman.

"So Naruto, what can I get for yer beautiful girlfriend?"

The blond surprisingly did not respond as the man had expected.

"She would like a regular miso with shrimp." He stated with a straight expression, completely ignoring the comment.

"_At least he remembers my favorite ramen._"

Within seconds, both had been served by the owner's daughter Ayane.

"So what's going on Kure-hime? Not that I mind us getting lunch together, but you obviously have a reason for meeting me."

"_He's perceptive._" She thought before choosing her next words carefully. "I am going to participate in Jounin exams that are coming up?"

"When and where?"

"They are being held in a week's time, in the Village hidden in the Sand."

"And?" he questioned further.

"Would you like to come with and watch? Though you will only be able to see the second part of the exam."

"Why is that?"

"I am not able to diverge any information to you about it. Only those attending the exam are allowed to know. Truth be told, even I have not been told exactly what is going on." She stated, worry clearly evident in her voice.

"You'll pass."

It was simple, it was direct, and Kurenai liked it. Her confidence significantly rose. As they slowly enjoy their ramen, the two ninja made small talk. It focused on Naruto's basic schedule as a genin, and Kurenai's repetitive missions as a chuunin.

"Anyway, the Hokage has already arranged for your team to have a diplomatic mission to Sand. It's a C ranked mission and since you will be traveling with two chuunin and three jounin. Hokage approved for your genin team to do the mission."

"A C-rank mission? Awesome! When do we leave? When? When? When?"

Once again she giggled at his childish antics. They totally contrasted his fourteen-year-old looking body.

"In two days. We will head out. By the time you finish your mission, the tournament portion of the exam with be beginning."

"Man! I want to go now!" After his excitement decreased, he spoke again. "So who are the other chuunin and jounin?"

"Well I don't know much about the chuunin, but the jounin are going to be Uchiha Itachi and Kakashi."

"Itachi? I haven't seen him in a while."

"That is because he has been in ANBU. It wasn't until about a year or two ago that he resigned to become a jounin."

"So he might end up teaching Sasuke?"

"Possibly, but from what I have heard a lot of clans heirs are going to be participating in the graduation exam next year."

Naruto thought for a moment. That would mean they get to take on the four jounin like he did.

"So they will have a test similar to mine?"

"Kind of…Hokage told me, that he wanted to gauge how fast you have improved. He knew that you and Lee would train daily for hours, and Ten-ten was exceptionally well-rounded for her age."

"Wait, so the test was created specifically for my team?" he questioned.

"I guess so. Didn't you find it odd that most of the people you fought, you were familiar with?"

"Yeah…but I don't know who that purple-haired woman was. Nor do I remember that kenjutsu master."

"Well, Yuugo has actually been the one who has been keeping tabs on you during your Academy years. She was the reason you advanced through the classes so quickly."

That would explain why he was in a class of twelve-year-olds when he was only ten.

{_**And apparently she was not able to detect or see us.**_} Tenshu commented.

"_Why is that?_"

{_**Upon summoning me, she was quite surprised.**_}

"I see…" he whispered.

The flaps to the entrance of the stall moved, notifying the two ninja. Without turning around, Naruto addressed the newcomer.

"Welcome Itachi-san. It's been a while."

A rare smile adorned the older nin's face.

"Hello Naruto. Congrats on graduating so early."

The blond nodded in thanks as the man sat down. Kurenai also greeted her superior. Looking at the time, she decided to leave to prepare her things for a long trip. She placed her hand upon the blond's shoulder; gaining his attention.

"I need to get prepared for the upcoming exam. I will see you later."

Naruto quickly placed his hand upon hers, keeping her there.

"Do you need any help?"

She smiled before answering.

"I will be fine. You can catch up with Itachi-san. After all, you haven't seen each other in years."

With that said, the woman exited the stand. Naruto then turned his attention to the jounin.

"So what have you been doing?"

"Well technically, I am not allowed to diverge this information, but I know I can at least trust you." The man paused, checking his surroundings. "It seems that the samurai are aiming to make peace with shinobi."

"…"

Naruto was shocked. He had heard the fearsome tales of samurai. Of those who could decimate a squadron of ninja all by themselves.

"Do you know why yet?" the blond questioned.

"No…even with all my skill I was never able to enter the capital city. All my information if based on rumors I heard. Due to the consistency between all the rumors, it all seems to be legitimate."

Now the boy was extremely flabbergasted. Even Itachi, the prodigy who became an ANBU captain by the time he was thirteen, could not even get close enough. What could the Samurai nation possibly want with the ninja villages?

"So they want to become allies with all ninja, or are they aiming for a cease fire/truce?"

"From what I gathered, they are aiming for a cease fire. Not only that Naruto, but they are also specifically asking for Konoha. No other nation seems to be of interest to them. Based upon the influence shown to the samurai, they may sign an alliance."

"That in of itself could change the entire world as we know it…"

"Exactly…" Itachi whispered, watching the genin think over the information he had just received.

-**Two Days Later**-

Naruto was ecstatic; excitement clearly evident based upon the pacing back and forth. Lee soon joined his former roommate. Seeing the two male's restlessness, Tenten was about to join them until a large plume of smoke appeared. As Kurenai had stated, three jounin-candidates stood next to three jounin. The blond genin smiled warmly at his red-eyed companion. It was then that the genin noticed the other two chuunin. Two familiar faces greeted them.

"Iruka-sensei!" Tenten exclaimed.

"Rin?" Naruto proclaimed.

Both of them smiled at the young ninja.

"YOSH THE FLAMES OF YOUTH BURN BRIGHTLY TODAY!" Gai shouted.

"**SHUT UP! IT'S SIX IN THE MORNING?**" a woman screeched from her window.

A frying pan soon connected with Gai's head and he was out cold. Kakashi; face in his trademark book, grabbed the man's leg and began to drag him.

"Let's go. We have a chuunin exam to watch and a mission to complete." The open pervert droned.

Itachi silently followed the silver-haired nin. Naruto got in line; Lee on his left and Tenten on his right. Then the chuunin got behind the genin. It took half of the trip for Gai to awaken. Once the spandex clad man realized his position, he began to spout out the usual nonsense.

"YOSH, KAKASHI! MY ETERNAL RIVAL HAS SAUGHT TO MAKE HIMSELF STRONGER BY USING MY BODY AS A WEIGHT! FOR THAT I WILL-"

"Shut up and walk on your own." Kakashi commented.

"CURSE YOU AND YOUR COOL AND HIP ATTITUDE!"

The man started to engross himself further into his book. Said pervert felt the killing intent of three pissed off kunoichi. However, he ignored everyone and continued on the path.

The trip lasted a couple days. It would have gone faster, but there were genin among the group. They did not have the capabilities of an experienced chuunin or jounin. By the time the group had arrived at Sunagakure, everyone was tired and ready for a long night's rest. However, Gai's team had a mission to complete first. Naruto and Lee followed the spandex clad jounin while Tenten trailed behind. A large building loomed over team ten. From what they could tell, this was the structure that contained the Kazekage, the leader of Suna. The blond ninja soon found himself in front of two large, red doors.

"_This must be the Kazekage's office._"

A rather small man greeted the four Konoha ninja as they entered. Gai returned the greeting and got down to business.

"What is it that you require of us Kazekage-sama?"

"There are two people I need you to escort. They are currently hiding in the near the western border of my country. Both of them are skilled but they have been fighting off hunter nins for quite some time. All I need for you to do is to go into the territory, find them, and bring them back safely. Here is a scroll with any other needed information."

A black scroll was exchanged to the Jounin.

"When do we leave Kazekage-sama?"

"Soon. This mission is of great importance. I will send a tracker nin with you so that it will be easier to find the two shinobi and so that you may have a guide to follow back to Suna. The desert is constantly shifting. This makes it hard to determine where exactly you are. Once you cross the border you will be relatively safe. Good luck."

All four ninja nodded and walked out of the office.

"Let's get this mission done quickly." Naruto stated.

"YOSH! LET US HURRY MY COMRADES!" the oldest male shouted joyfully, "NARUTO-KUN'S FLAMES OF YOUTH BURN BRIGHTLY!"

Tenten smacked her forehead as the three males leapt to the designated entrance/exit.

-**Two Hours Later**-

The Konoha ninja, being led by a Sand chuunin, flew over the shifting sands. From what Gai had found out, they were in search of two former mist nins. One went by the name of Momochi Zabuza while the other remained a mystery. The taijutsu master knew only a little of the mentioned male. He was a former member of the Seven Swordsmen of Mist and he wielded a giant blade that was nearly as tall as himself.

{_**This sounds like a man I would like to face.**_} Tenshu stated.

"_Right now though, we should probably not do so. He has more experience and a bigger stature._" The blond retorted.

The sand nin's voice soon broke the boy from his thoughts.

"Another hour and we will reach the targeted area of extraction."

Suddenly a shockwave blew past the group. It was soon followed by another. A battle was obviously occurring. Gai grabbed a hold of his students and the guide. A surge of power blasted the sand from underneath the massive man.

"YOSH! LET'S GET THERE TO SAVE THE DAY!"

All five people vanished in an instant; a wave of sand was sent flying in the opposite direction of the battle.

-**Five Minutes Later**-

A masked nin with long black hair dodged a kunai before freezing the attacker in a block of ice.

"_They just don't give up! I hope Zabuza-sama is alright…_"

The person did not have any more time to think. A squad of shinobi jumped over their frozen comrade to engage the rogue ninja. Expertly the missing nin maneuvered through the attacks and killed two of the attackers with a few sendon needles. The last three were able to restrain the Kekkei Genkai user. One restrained the hands, another the feet, and the third struck a knee into the captive's stomach. All the air from the lungs was expelled, which in turn, elicited a high-pitched squeak.

"_I guess this is where it ends._"

"Hmmm…" the ninja who kneed the person paused for a moment.

To prove his wordless inquiry, the dark haired man lifted the mask off. What greeted him, was a flawless porcelain face. The male soon found himself blushing at the beauty of the girl beneath him.

"Woah-ho-ho gentlemen!" the man laughed. "We got ourselves a pretty one. Who would have thought that the oh-so-great Demon of the Mist would be lugging around this pretty little thing?"

The other two males laughed. Once again the shinobi moved to touch the girl; however, he soon found his upper body falling away from the his pelvis and legs. A giant sword had cleaved right through all three of the assailants. Blood soon blanketed the area.

"Haku…" a deep voice rumbled. "I thought I taught you better than to get caught."

"Forgive me Zabuza-sama."

The sword wielding man turned around, not wanting to show the worry on his face.

"Let's get going. We do not know how many more fools have been sent after us."

It appeared as though irony just had to show its ugly face. As Haku returned to her feet, ten unknown shinobi appeared, surrounding the two.

"_Oh for the love of-_" Zabuza cursed, but was cut off by a green blur.

"HERE I COME TO SAVE THE DAY!" the spandex-clad jounin yelled.

Upon his arrival, Gai dropped the passengers onto the ground. Naruto and Lee both wobbled around, totally disheveled from the high-speed traveling. Tenten on the other hand, decided to relieve the contents of her stomach. The Sand nin gained his bearings quickly and moved into a taijutsu stance.

"_That man is ridiculously fast…Is THIS the kind of power Konoha has at their disposal?_"

Zabuza glared at the new arrivals. Where had he seen the description of the man before him?

"THEY CALL ME MAITO GAI! SAVIOR OF THE INNOCENT AND LOVED BY ALL! PREPARE FOR THE WRATH OF YOUTH!"

All those present sweat dropped. Once both young men had gained their balance, Naruto smacked his forehead while Lee ogled at his awesome sensei. The blond moved quickly to the side of Haku, but was intercepted by a massive sword. Tenshu instantly materialized to block the weapon. The gauntlet barely made it in time to stop the blade from severing the arm (and possible his torso).

"_He withstood my blade? Those gauntlets must be pretty special. Even if I was not using my full strength, it is still an amazing feat to survive a blow from __Kubikiribocho._ It is not wise to jump towards someone you have never met before."

"Momochi Zabuza, A.K.A. Demon of the Mist, former jounin of the Mist, now an A-ranked missing nin." Naruto listed off all he knew.

Zabuza chuckled lightly. This boy intrigued him.

"What's your name boy?"

"Uzumaki Naruto, Genin of Konoha. I am here to make sure you arrive safely to Sunagakure."

"_Konoha sent mere genin. What is that Hokage thinking?_" the tall man thought.

Haku, however, was along a different line of thinking.

"_Konoha? That is where I believe the 'Ice Queen' lives. This boy may know where I can locate her._"

Everyone's musings were cut short as the ten enemy ninja simultaneously attacked. Naruto moved back-to-back with the tall male, Kageshin materialized. Naruto's teammates instantly thought the same thing.

"_Where did he get that blade and how long has he had it?_"

Three threw shuriken, which Zabuza deflected effortlessly with his blade. Another two jumped from the blond's left. Quickly he moved the tip of Kageshin into the hole of the Kubikiribocho. Then, swinging his arms in a wide arch over his head, both swords converged on the two assailants. Zabuza's blade cleaved through the defending kunai and the wielder, effectively killing the man. Naruto's blade however, sliced through the arm and into the torso. The first attacker's blood covered the sword and most of the ground, whereas, the second did no bleed a drop.

"_Kageshin…what's going on?_" the demon container asked.

{_**Just an ability of mine. Tell everyone to duck and swing me horizontally.**_}

Naruto whipped the blade from the corpse before hefting the blade on his shoulder.

"Everyone down!" the ten-year-old ordered.

Both the Konoha and former Mist Shinobi instantly dived to the ground. Upon seeing the others dive down, the Sand nin also complied. Kageshin swung from its perch, guided by its weilder. As the blade flowed through the air, a crimson liquid sprung off the sword. The length of the cutting edge extended from its normal four foot length to a shocking twenty feet. Five more attackers found themselves sliced in half.

{_**Now I have enough blood, stab me into the earth!**_}

"_Hai!_"

Naruto followed the blade's instruction. As the sword moved towards the ground, the blood gathered from the five slain ninja streamed to the pommel. Finally the ground was pierced. Tendrils of crimson soon sprouted from the ground, effectively impaling the remaining attackers.

{_**I will talk to you again when you wake up.**_}Kageshin informed.

"What?" the boy thought out loud, before his world faded to black.

-**A Day Later**-

Naruto woke to a worried Rin. The blond could tell from the way she was pacing back and forth.

"It's just not possible…how does-"

Even with all her medical knowledge, the jounin could not determine what had caused the boy to collaspe. She turned her gaze to the now conscious boy.

"Oh! Naru-kun! You're finally awake."

She grabbed the boy into a hug.

"Hello, Rin. No need to worry, I am perfectly fine."

"HOW!" she gripped his shoulder's tightly. "When Gai brought you back…"

Naruto saw tears forming at the edges of her eyes.

"What happened?"

"You body was almost completely devoid of blood."

Rin voice was barely above a whisper, but he had heard her loud and clear.

"_Kageshin! What in the world did you do to me?_" The boy glared at the sword as it sat against in the corner of the hospital room.

{_**Forgive me master. I am capable of taking an opponent's blood and using it for an attack. However, since I am created from your blood, I have a limited amount of control over a specific volume of another's blood. That last attack you used, which is called Spears to the Heavens, required me to use a lot of blood in your body.**_}

Kageshin then decided to vaporize and return to its wielder. Instantly the blond was filled with energy.

"_I see…_" Naruto returned his attention to Rin. "There is no need to worry now. I am fine and that is all that should matter."

Just to make sure, the experienced medic did a quick scan. She was surprised to see that his blood levels were above the normal amount. Especially when the boy had been functioning on only half the necessary amount about ten minutes ago.

"_This is NOT normal…_" the woman thought.

It was then she noticed that the sheath no longer contained the giant Nodachi.

"_What the-_"

"When will Kurenai be fighting in the tournament?"

"Your princess will have her first match tomorrow at ten in the morning. They just recently finished the first part of the exam." Rin stopped as Naruto got out of bed.

After the genin was fully-dressed, she continued.

"I am sorry to say, but you cannot go and see her. She is in pretty bad shape and she requires a lot of rest. Right now, there are three medic nins watching over her."

Naruto, who was almost out the door, froze mid-step.

"They found a nasty poison running through her system. I was able to get it out, but I do not know exactly how it has affected her body." She silently got up and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I will make sure she is perfectly healthy for her fight tomorrow. I promise."

"Thank you Rin. Please don't overwork yourself. Kure-hime is strong. She WILL get better and obtain the rank of jounin tomorrow. That much I know is certain."

The boy exited the room completely, hoping to find somewhere to train. Rin left the area and returned to her best friend's side. A heart monitor beeped every once in a while, but then the room would fall silent.

"_He has so much faith in you Kurenai. Do not disappoint your man._" She smiled.

Rin worked throughout the rest of the day and a few hours into the night. By the time midnight came, Kurenai was up and moving around. After a good stretch, the crimson-eyed female went for a short walk in the hospital courtyard.

"Little One…tomorrow…I will show you how strong I have become. _Also, you will have to get stronger so that you can actually protect me better than myself._"

The woman giggled to herself. She suddenly remembered the words the boy had stated a few years back.

"_All I know is that I WANT to protect you and I WANT to be there for you. You are someone that is really precious to me and I would gladly lay my life down for you._"

Naruto was definitely going to become a decent man. Once he reach chuunin, she would give him the chance he deserved. Now that is only assuming that a proper suitor does not enter her life before then.

"I have a big day tomorrow…Promotion here I come." She smiled before returning to her room, and instantly fell asleep.

* * *

**Author:**** There you go people. Once again I am sorry about the massive delay. Just so you know, I will NEVER go on a Hiatas. Though I will experience writer's block from time to time. Anyway, as a gift to you, I will hopefully get another chapter up within the next week. If you will, please have me in your thoughts so I can get the next chapter done quickly.**

**Like always, I am greatly encouraged by your reviews and comments. If you have any questions, please place them in a review or you can PM me. Either way is alright with me.**

**Thanks for reading, please review, and I hope to be updating soon.**

**Next Chapter: Kurenai's Jounin Tournament**


	8. You Led Me Out of the Dark

**Author****: Thanks for all the awesome reviews. Now to answer some questions/comments.**

_Bleedndreamz__: I see your point, but just so you know, Naruto has the body of a fourteen year old. He is actually ten years old. I was actually around 6' tall when I was fourteen. I will definitely have to make some changes to the last chapter and re-update it. Thank you for pointing that out to me._

_As for the shoe part, I have a reason for making him have no shoes. In the chapters to come I will reveal what Naruto plans to do. Once again thank you for your comments. I am not perfect, but your review helped me fix the loose ends I missed._

_Tristan76 and __JKArcanus__:__ Thanks for finding me that information. I searched for a couple hours trying to find her. I will make the necessary changes. Funny thing is though, is that I actually missed the name spelling by one letter._

**Disclaimer****: I do not own anything associated with Naruto, because even if I did, there is no way I could make it as awesome as it is.**

* * *

"Talking"

"_Thinking_"

Jutsu

{_**Demon or Summon Speech in Mental Realm**_}

"**Demon or Summon Speech in Physical Realm**"

-**Scene or Time Change**-

* * *

**Current Ages:**

Kakashi and Rin: 25

Iruka and Kurenai: 22

Naruto: 10 (with body of a fourteen year old)

* * *

_Chapter 8_

**You Led Me Out of the Dark**

The arena erupted in cheers as the ten chuunin entered the area. Naruto gazed at Kurenai who stood on the far left. As his eyes shifted over the other contestants, the blue orbs stopped on another woman ninja. Her short purple hair was pulled back into a ponytail. The woman possessed light brown irises and her choice of clothing was rather…you could say…lacking. A fishnet shirt covered her torso along with a tan corset-like shirt. On her arms and legs were standard shin and forearm guards. A small, black belt held up short dark brown mini skirt. Also, some fishnet leggings descended down her leg to about her mid-thigh. To complete the ensemble, the mysterious woman wore a short-sleeved trench coat. Judging by the look the males were giving her, the blond genin could instantly tell what kind of man they were. It was then that he noticed that all the other fighters were male, and this fact made him worry for his precious kunoichi. A few of the men turned and looked at Kurenai with lust clearly in their eyes.

"_I any of those men even try to feel her up. I will slit their throats._" Naruto glared at the men.

The trench-coat clad woman noticed the look that some blond in the stand had given to the woman on the other end of the line, and the men in between.

"_Seems like we have a lover. I just might have to have some fun with that little creature down there._" She wickedly smiled while passing a glance at the red-eyed beauty.

Kakashi, as well as Rin, took note of the look on the chuunin's face. Both instantly thought the same thing.

"_Let's hope she does not fight Kurenai. Naruto will have a fit and possibly even interrupt the fight. That would negate her chance of being promoted._"

As the proctor went through the rules of engagement, Kakashi walked over to Naruto. Placing a hand on the boy's shoulder, the older male gained his attention.

"Yes Kakashi?" Naruto inquired.

"Promise me you will not interrupt any of Kurenai's fights."

"WHAT!"

"Calm down. If you interfere, Kurenai will be forced to forfeit her match and lose her chance at a promotion to Jounin."

{_**Choose your next words carefully Fishcake…**_} Tenshu warned.

"_What do you mean?_" Naruto question, but after receiving no answer, he answered Kakashi. "Fine, I will not interfere with any of her fights."

"Even if she is being severely beaten?"

This caused the boy to pause. Could he truly stand there and watch her suffer? The more he thought about it, the more he got angered. The gravity of this promise caused him to grip the railing that surrounded the stands. An audible groaning of metal vibrated in the ears of those close to the blond. With anger clearly in his voice, Naruto nodded his head and sealed his fate.

"I promise."

"Thank you." The silver-haired ninja responded. "_I just hope that does not happen. I know it will if Kurenai fights that other woman._"

Suddenly a hand gripped Naruto's shoulder. Following the appendage to the owner's face, the Konoha genin found himself looking into the eyes of one Momochi Zabuza.

"Relax gaki. I know she will be fine."

Clearly Zabuza had overhead the conversation between the two.

"But how do you know?" the question was barely a whisper.

"Hey, if there is a genin as strong as you going after that woman, that means she must be strong as well." The shirtless man commented.

"Thank you Momochi-san."

"No problem gaki. Just so you know, Haku and I will be returning with you to Konoha."

"Really? What for?"

"Asylum and Haku would like to meet that woman of yours. The so-called 'Ice Queen of Konoha' I believe that is what she is known as."

"That is correct. But-"

The blond was cut from speaking as the proctor announced the first match.

"First Match! Anko versus Maruishi."

"_So that is her name…_" Kakashi, Rin, and Naruto thought.

At this announcement Naruto returned to the seat beside his teammates. The other jounin-hopefuls removed themselves from the fighting area.

"HAJIME!"

The instant the proctor's hand sliced down, the female known as Anko threw down some smoke bombs. A thick blanket of purple smoke instantly covered the fighting area. It took several minutes for the smokescreen to dissipate, but when it did, the crowd wished that it hadn't. The male combatant stood there, arms dangling by his side, head craned upward with a blank expression on his face, mouth open in a silent scream, and covered in black vines. Upon closer inspection, Naruto realized that those vines were actually the man's veins. That could mean only one thing…poison. Fear for his precious princess increased drastically. He prayed and hoped that Kurenai would not have to face this 'Anko' person. Naruto's attention switched to the woman. She was looking straight back. Movement by her arm shifted his attention. A tail with scales slithered disappeared into the sleeve of the trench coat. At least he knew it was some form of reptile.

"You better get him treatment. He'll die in a few minutes if you don't." the woman's silky smooth voice broke the proctor from his stupor.

"Medics!" he yelled. "Code green!"

The medic nins instantly appeared and injected the man. Attempting to slow the poison's spread they slowed down his heart and then began to try and extract the poison. As they carried him away, his body visibly started to relax. The pain was subsiding. Naruto then began to determine this mysterious woman's abilities. Anko left the fighting arena and returned to the waiting booth. The next match was called. It turned out to be Kurenai's turn and she was facing the other chuunin that had traveled with the group. The man had kept to himself and rarely did he even do anything for that matter. Black hair cascaded down the man's face, effectively covering his eyes and most of his nose. A smile spread across his face, and for the first time that entire trip his voice exited his mouth.

"It is truly an honor to face against the famous ICE Queen of Konoha. I just hope you are as much as a challenge as they say."

Haku's ears perked up. So this was the supposed Ice Queen. She was amazingly beautiful. She was more than anything the young missing nin had ever heard of what a queen looked like.

"_I wonder what her bloodline is. After my people were massacred it is good to know that the Queen is still alive._"

He was arrogant, that much Kurenai could tell. However, she would not let herself be irritated by the male's comments. The victor of a battle is the one who remains calm and uses wit rather than strength. The red-eyed beauty fell into a standard taijutsu stance. Upon seeing both combatants ready, the proctor signaled for the battle to begin.

"Hajime!"

The male charged forward, his fist cocked back, ready to deliver the first hit of the match. She quickly placed her elbow up, hitting the joint of his arm. All the force from the punch was transferred into said joint. Kurenai then proceeded with a sweep kick. The man barely jumped in time to dodge it. She used her momentum to send another kick up towards her opponent's face. Since he was still airborne, the attack sent him flying back. Upon hitting the ground, the Konoha ninja rolled, transferring the force.

"I see your taijutsu is pretty good." He stated, flicking his hair out of his face.

Red pupils caught Kurenai's attention.

"_An Uchiha?_" she contemplated the possibility. "_Well even if he is not, I must proceed with caution. I can cast some low level genjutsu to make sure. Still, for now I will conserve my energy._"

"Shinji."

"What?"

"My name. It's Shinji. Just thought I would let you know the name of the man who will defeat you."

"_He's arrogant, and that one familiar trait of an Uchiha._" She thought with distain.

Suddenly Shinji began to form seals faster than she could keep up with. He ended in the tiger seal and held a hand to his mouth.

"_A fire jutsu!_"

A giant fireball came hurtling towards her. Quickly, she removed a scroll from her weapons pouch. With a little chakra she opened it and placed her hand down on a Kanji that said 'water'. Instantly, liquid burst forth, forming a massive pillar. The maelstrom of churning water headed straight for the inferno. As the two collided, water drenched the arena and a hot vapor filled the air. Kurenai then began forming a few seals and grabbed a couple of kunai. This barrier helped her stay hidden and give her enough time to formulate a strategy. Suddenly another fireball came hurtling through the dense mist. This time she was forced to dodge. As the attack collided with the wall of the arena, the shockwave blew away most of the sight-hindering vapor. Now the two were able to clearly see each other. Now was the time to put her plan into action. Kunai at the ready, the woman charged. With a flick of her wrist she threw one of the six kunai she held. Shinji sidestepped, the knife flying harmlessly by and plunged into the ground slightly behind him.

"_There's chakra on those kunai. She must be trying to increase it cutting power, or she has a genjutsu on them._" Shinji contemplated.

Another kunai was sent at him, but he deflected it to the left with his own tool. Her knife plunged into the wall of the stadium. Kurenai then jumped into the air, throwing two more. The first blade was headed straight for him; the second tool went flying to the right. That gave the man the option to dodge to the front. He did not want to risk having those other two kunai being possibly rigged with explosion tags. The two final kunai were launched over her shoulders towards the retreating ninja. These blades were able to cut into the left leg of Shinji. A grunt of pain escaped from his mouth. One had hit his calf, and the other his hamstring. They were not in too deep so the wounds were not life threatening. The man yanked the weapons from his leg before standing. After he did, Shinji had wished he hadn't. His world began to slow down. His feet became unsteady and he collapsed to the ground.

"What did you do to me?" he bellowed.

Shinji could feel some sort of sensation crawl its way up his left leg. Soon it spread to his lower body and stomach. Paralysis was beginning to take over.

"Forfeit, before that feeling reaches your brain."

"You used poison didn't you!" he demanded more than questioned.

"I won't tell. Forfeit if you value your life." she spoke demandingly.

"She would do that, even to a fellow shinobi?" one of the crowd members asked.

"_I have no idea what she did..._"

After a few more seconds, the feeling reaching his chest, Shinji stated that he forfeited. Upon stating that, the numbness subsided and he was able to regain feeling.

"What did you do?" he whispered.

He was a village comrade to her, so he knew she should try to keep her technique as much as a secret as possible.

"It was a genjutsu of sorts. Most genjutsu are cast outside the body, but when it is cast inside the body, it is harder to detect because the chakra actually reaches the brain. Since the human body is composed of mostly water, I just installed the feeling of that water freezing."

"I see."

Shinji then walked in front of her and held out his hand. She gratefully accepted it and they shook. From here she saw that his eyes did in fact hold the familiar Uchiha doujutsu. However, there was only one comma mark in it. She had been able to beat an Uchiha and she was quite proud of herself.

"Winner! Kurenai!"

The crowd went wild. The civilians always loved a good battle. Up in the Kage booth, Sarutobi noticed Naruto down in the stands. The elderly ninja then turned his gaze to the man beside him. The Yondaime Kazekage was a rather young man and beside him was a younger boy with red hair. After the contestants finished, the Kazekage signaled the proctor start the next match. The next two combatants enter the arena, and the Hokage turned his attention to his fellow Kage.

"So who is this young boy next to you?"

"My son." Came a curt response.

Sarutobi looked the boy over more carefully. His blood red hair contrasted against his deathly pale skin. A gourd of sand was strapped to his back and was nearly as big as the youngster. The Kanji for 'love' was engraved upon the left side of his forehead. A terrifying aura radiated around the boy.

"He must be..." the elder Kage left the statement hanging.

"Yes, his name is Gaara."

"Hello Gaara-kun it's nice to meet you."

Gaara did not respond, but he gave a polite bow to the superior ninja.

"Would you mind if I brought up Konoha's hero?"

"Be my guest Hokage-sama?"

Sarutobi motioned for one of his ANBU to retrieve the blond. A woman with a cat mask nodded and disappeared.

-**Down in the stands**-

Naruto had just finished the fourth match of the tournament. The thrid fight had ended in a draw since neither shinobi could continue after one final attack. A hand on his shoulder brought his attention to the cat-masked ANBU.

"Hokage-sama would like you to join him in the Hokage booth."

"What?"

It's not that he didn't understand her; it was more of the fact that it was a great honor to be invited to that particular viewing area. It was like being asked to come to the VIP of a club even though you were just a simple civilian. Naruto nodded, not trusting his voice to respond. The ANBU placed her other hand on Naruto's shoulder. They soon appeared beside the Hokage.

"Ohayo Hokage-sama." He bowed low and noticed the Kazekage. "It is an honor to meet you Kazekage-sama."

"He is rather polite for one so young." The Sand leader mentioned with a low chuckle. "May I hear your name little guy?

Naruto's fists tightened until his knuckles were white.

"_Pay no attention to it, pay no attention to it. It would cause a war if you punch the Kazekage_. _Plus he doesn't know._""

Sarutobi came to the rescue.

"Naruto does not like to be called little Kazekage-sama."

"Oh!" the man stated surprised. "Forgive my rudeness then Naruto-san."

"It's no problem." The blond stated, visibly relaxing. "May I ask why you summoned me Hokage-sama?"

"Yes, I would like you to meet Gaara. He is the Kazekage's son."

"Cool!" the boy shouted.

Naruto basically jumped at the red head. His arm extended, attempting to receive a handshake. After a while, Gaara's father's voice broke the silence.

"Do not be rude son. Shake his hand. You two have a lot in common."

Realization registered in Gaara's mind.

"_Like me? So that means..._"

The sand genin took a hold of Naruto's hand and shook it politely. The instant their hands met, both froze.

{_**The one path...**_} Tenshu and Kageshin whispered.

"_What?_" Naruto questioned the symbiotic blades.

{_**This child has a single path to follow. Much like how you have nine.**_}

**-In Gaara's Mind**-

{_**THE NINE PATH!**_} howled a voice. {_**Boy, do not cross this child.**_}

"_Why?_" questioned Gaara.

{_**You have just one path to follow; this 'Naruto' guy has nine. He is more powerful then you.**_}

"_So he is like me._"

{_**Correct...**_}

-**Normal P.O.V.**-

The two children looked each other in the eyes. A sense of recognition clearly written on both faces.

"It is nice to meet you Gaara-san."

For the first time that day, Gaara's monotone voice sounded.

"The feeling is mutual Naruto-san."

It was at this time that the next battle was announced. Naruto's fear had come true.

"The next match is Anko and Kurenai. Will the combatants please enter the stadium?"

"_Dang it! Why does Kure-hime have to fight against that poison user?_"

Sarutobi could see the worry in the boy's aura. Truth be told, the elder was also worried about this fight. Through all the fights that Anko had fought, she had used a reptile and was proficient in poisons. From this information alone, the Hokage was pretty sure who this chuunin's teacher was. Only one man had some of the signature techniques.

"_Orochimaru..._" he thought venomously.

**-Back in th****e Arena**-

Kurenai turned all her attention to the woman before her. However, Anko's attention was on the blond in the Kage booth. Naruto was glaring right at her, and she just smiled evilly at him. Kurenai then turned her gaze to her Little One. Naruto shifted his gaze to his princess. Her countenance calmed him down instantly. She stated she would be fine. A small smile graced her lips. He gave a simple nod. She knew what that meant.

"_I will give her hell. I will get this promotion and prove my strength._"

"HAJIME!" came the proctor's voice/

Instantly Kurenai began some seals. Sand rose from the ground and charged the poison-user. Anko simply placed her hand upon the ground and took a deep breath. Then she placed her hand into the cancelation seal.

"Kai!"

The wall of sand vanished immediately. For the second time that day, Kurenai whipped out the sealing scroll from her pouch. This time she activated the seal that read: 'leaf'. Thousands of leaves poured from the scroll, blanketing the ground. The red-eyed woman then began a second string of seals. Before she could finish the sequence, snakes tore from the ground. She back flipped from the reptiles and grabbed a fistful of leaves. She quickly added chakra to them and threw them. The harmless vegetation turned into spinning razor blades. The snakes were cut to ribbons in a matter of seconds.

"Konoha Shuriken right? That's a neat trick." Anko mocked.

More snakes exited her robe and began to chase after Kurenai. Then Anko followed up the attack with a purple-colored smoke bomb. The Konoha ninja kept running and would throw a kunai to dispatch a snake or two. But every time she killed one, Anko would send three more from the cover of the smoke. As time edged forward, Kurenai was getting closer and closer to being bitten. Eventually she began another string of seals. The leaves on the ground suddenly flew outwards towards the wall. The leaf-made blades killed all the snakes. Once she knew she was okay for a little while, she finished another quick series of hand signs.

"Hyakkaryooran!"

A giant tornado of leaves encircled the entire battle zone. There was no way that Anko could escape this wide-ranged genjutsu. Kurenai's body suddenly vanished in the torrent of vegetation. Occasionally the woman's body would appear before vanishing again. The wind created from her movement blew away the smoke to reveal the snake wielder. She remained calm, and that really worried Naruto.

"_What is she planning?_"the blond thought.

Every time the Konoha kunoichi appeared, Anko would attempt hit her with wave after wave of slithering reptiles. Perspiration was causing Kurenai's movement to become slower over time. Anko knew it, Naruto knew it, and she was running out of time. It was then that the genjutsu mistress started to hurl explosive kunai when she appeared. Anko was usually able to dodge, but a few of the explosions made her lose balance.

"_Now!_" Kurenai told herself.

With a burst of speed, the jounin-hopeful was next to the snake-user. Kurenai watched in horror as Anko's tongue flicked out and then back into her mouth. A smile spread from ear to ear. As Kurenai's knee collided with the other woman's temple, the attack became stuck in mud.

"_A MUD CLONE!_" Sarutobi mentally yelled, however, remained calm on the outside. "_It is as I feared. Orochimaru has begun to move again._"

The real Anko burst from the ground. The now trapped female received a viscous uppercut. Blood sprayed from her mouth as she was sent flying. Unfortunately the attack did not stop there. Anko appeared above the dazed opponent and planted both knees into her stomach. More blood exited from Kurenai's mouth as she slammed into the ground.

"You thought you could hide from me?" Anko teased. "I can feel the vibrations in the earth and I can easily smell you. What type of ninja used lavender scented body wash? Who are you trying to impress Ms. Ice Queen?"

The woman's mocking gaze Kurenai more motivation to pick herself back up. That was why she had had those snakes chase her. It caused her to perspire and that would make her scent stronger. Without another word Kurenai charged. The two women battle in taijutsu for a little while. Kurenai clearly had the upper hand and had landed a lot more blows. A punch to the face caused a trickle of blood to enter Anko's mouth. A wicked grin then covered her face.

"You made me bleed!" she cheered. "I don't see any more reason to hold back!"

"_Hold back!_" everyone thought.

Anko then struck quickly and relentlessly. A fist plunged into Kurenai's stomach, then her face, next an elbow to the back, a knee to the gut, and then a roundhouse kick to her chest. The power of the attack sent her skidding across the ground. The pain made her incapable of moving. As she regained her breath, she glanced at Naruto. He was gripping onto the railing with such force that it was bending and groaning. Worry, fear, and pain were written in his body language and facial expression. She could not bear to see him like that. Kurenai could read that expression. It stated: "_Please stay down! This promotion is not worth your life._" With a little difficulty she was able to produce a weak smile. Upon seeing her reaction, his eyes narrowed in anger.

"_But if you do, I cannot protect you!_" his gripping power increased as Tenshu spread across the limb.

Weakly Kurenai returned to her feet and dropped into a taijutsu stance.

"Let's continue with this beat down." Anko smiled wickedly again.

-**Up in the Kage Booth**-

With every strike that landed, the blond's fingers dug deeper and deeper into the metal railing. Eventually it broke and shattered under the pressure. Rin suddenly appeared and kneeled down.

"Forgive my rudeness Hokage-sama, please allow me to stop this fight!" she begged not looking the man in the eyes.

"If you do Rin-san, you will cause her to lose her chance at a promotion. Those are the rules." The elder ninja spoke quietly.

A shrill cry pierced the air.

-**A Cave in a Dark Mountain Range**-

Two red eyes opened. A deep growl exited the being's throat. With a burst of speed the silver-colored creature jumped from the cave. Its steps made no sound as it leapt from mountain top to mountain top. Eventually it gained so much speed that no naked eye could see it.

-**Back at the Arena**-

Kurenai was suspended off the ground by a boa constrictor. Her neck was being slowly crushed, and her feet were not able to reach the ground. The distressed woman clawed away at the scales of the large snake. It was then that black tendrils crept up Naruto neck.

{_**I warned you boy!**_} Tenshu growled. {_**If you do not go down there and save her, I will take your arm.**_}

Those black tendrils began to pulse with pain. Naruto collapsed to his knees. He could not scream due to the sheer amount of pain.

"_But I promised Kakashi that I would not interrupt her fight!_"

{_**But you promised me that you would protect that woman. You said that if you do not fulfill that promise I can take your right arm and retribution. THAT is why I told you to choose your words carefully boy!**_} Tenshu was beyond pissed.

Naruto grabbed his right shoulder. It felt like it was being ripped out of its socket. Rin appeared at his side, ready to jump over the railing to save her friend. However, Naruto's hand on her stomach stopped her.

"Don't..." the boy breathed heavily before realizing something. "Do not risk her promotion and the life of your child."

"_He knows!_"

Naruto was able to feel two chakra signatures within Rin. He could not allow her to make any risk.

{_**Decide within the next minute boy!**_} a cry of pain from Kurenai emphasized the weapon's point. {_**Both of you will not last much longer.**_}

Anko dug a third kunai into the woman's thigh. Blood gushed out like a river. Her cries of pain allowed the boa to tighten its grip around Kurenai's neck. Soon, she would be incapable of breathing at all.

"_So this is how I am going to die?_" she questioned tears flowing from her eyes. "Naruto..."

Kurenai whispered as she went limp. Upon seeing this, Naruto cried out in pain.

"KURENAI!"

Finally the searing agony in his shoulder became too much to bare. The blond male collapsed tears streaking down his cheeks.

{_**You can say goodbye to your woman and your arm.**_} Tenshu's voice echoed; disappointment interlaced into his tone. {_**I expected more from you...**_}

Rin was instantly by Naruto's side, checking his vitals. Both Kages watched the expert medic nin check the boy. Said medic then noticed the back veins going all over his right appendage.

"What the-"

A crash interrupted her speech. The arena halted everything they were doing when a ferocious roar vibrated from the battlefield. It was a bestial sound that was a mix between metal on metal and the howl of T-rex. Anko stood petrified as the snake that had been holding Kurenai now lay in innumerable pieces. Upon closer inspection, she found that she was staring at a metallic wolf. The only difference between a real wolf and itself was that there were multiple weapon-like apparatuses upon its body. Its mane was a conglomeration of sword blades, the tail being similar in structure, and its shoulder blades were literally so. Two scythe-like blades stretched from the supposed areas. Every claw was like a wickedly curved dagger and its teeth were also similar. The hind feet of this monster were much thicker than the front. This was probably an ability to run and jump extremely well. None of these factors made Anko the least bit frightened. It was the eyes that so shook her to the core. They were a menacing blood red. There were no pupils, if fact, the entire socket glowed crimson. One sudden move and she would be on the receiving end of those sharp teeth.

"_Where have I seen that before?_" Haku inquired.

She looked to Zabuza, but he was as shocked as everyone else.

The beast moved in a flash. Gently it rubbed its head into the crook of Kurenai's neck. With a coughing fit, the woman returned to the land of the conscious. At first she was struck with fear as she now noticed the giant wolf in front of her face. Its eyes were closed so she did not have to witness its glare. Her hand slowly touched the side of its head and it gladly leaned into the caress.

"Thank you..." she whispered, her throat soar from the boa.

She collapsed again exhausted. When this happened, the mane of blade stood on end and the wolf's attention returned to the snake wielder. The glare returned full force.

"_Why can't I move!_" she freaked.

Within seconds the wolf was upon her. It struck Anko straight in the solar plexus with a ferocious head butt. Along with the wind in her lungs, Anko also went limp and crashed through the wall of the stadium. As though the beast's mission was done, it leapt away. Seconds later a roar echoed throughout the village and then all was silent.

* * *

**Author:**** There you go my faithful readers. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know this will probably cause some questions, but if not that is okay. Like always, if you have any questions feel free to PM me or just place them within the review. I appreciate every one of your reviews and it always helps me to continue on with my story. Please comment and question. Until next time, Ja Ne!**


	9. Darkness Has Returned

**Author****: I apologize for epic fail on my part of not updating. This past month has been rather hectic with my summer class, work, a best friend's wedding, college orientation and that whole process, more work, and lack of sleep. I also had to deal with some high-caliber story-writing, because I had to deal with the psychological aspect of the trauma that Naruto endured. For someone like me, that is one of the hardest things that I struggle with. (SeikoRin helped me a lot with this aspect)**

**Oh my word! I hate writer's block! I swear, if it wasn't for that plague, everyone would love to write. Anyway I want to give a special thanks to two readers who have helped me throughout my story. So give a round of applause to:**

**SeikoRin & Inuyasha838688**

**Both of them have contributed a lot to the storyline/continuity of Blazing Tundra. Also I appreciate everyone else who has reviewed and given me encouragement or constructive criticism. **

**Anyway, I got a lot of different feelings about that last chapter. Lol. I pray that this chapter is better than the last.**

**gama dokusha:**** Thank you for correcting me. I really have a knack for misspelling words by one letter. **

**Disclaimer****: I do not own anything associated with Naruto, because even if I did, there is no way I could make it as awesome as it is.**

* * *

"Talking"

"_Thinking_"

Jutsu

{_**Demon or Summon Speech in Mental Realm**_}

"**Demon or Summon Speech in Physical Realm**"

-**Scene or Time Change**-

* * *

**Current Ages:**

Kakashi and Rin: 25

Iruka and Kurenai: 22

Naruto: 10 (with body of a fourteen year old)

* * *

_Chapter 9_

**Darkness Has Returned**

Naruto woke with a start. Cold sweat had slowly cascaded down his skin as he sat up. Pain caused to grab his right shoulder. Surprisingly he found the arm still attached.

"_Tenshu, what happened?_"

After a pregnant silence, Kageshin spoke.

{_**A metallic wolf saved Kurenai after you collapsed. It happened quickly enough that Tenshu decided not to take your arm. However, he is rather ticked off at what you did. It might take some time before he even attempts to converse with you.**_}

"_I figured as much. I guess I need to watch what I promise. Kurenai! How is she?_" Naruto questioned frantically.

{_**Do not worry Fishcake. She is sleeping soundly in the bed to your left. Rin took care of both of you. Other than almost being suffocated and blood-loss, Kurenai is going to be just fine. At least that is what I heard Rin say.**_}

"Thank you Kageshin." The boy whispered.

His muscles tensed and he completely froze. Images of what happened flashed through his mind. They appeared so fast that his head began to ache. However, there were only a couple images that stood out. Kurenai's blood-drenched body, a silver blur, and then complete darkness. The more he thought about it, the harder his heart beat. Her pain-filled screams echoed within in his mind.

The heartbeat monitor increased its rhythm.

_Slowly the blood oozed from the her kunai-inflicted wounds._

Naruto's breathing began ragged and forced.

_The light faded from her eyes._

His hand moved from his shoulder to his shirt, gripping the fabric with intense strength.

-**Outside the Door**-

Itachi was on keeping watch over the two severely injured Konoha ninja.

"_Naruto experience a tremendous amount of mental trauma and his shoulder was almost detached from his body. It was like it was slowly being ripped out. It's a total mystery to me._" Rin's words droned in the jounin's mind. "_Meanwhile, Kurenai has only suffered from blood-loss and intermediate strangulation._"

Suddenly a familiar signature entered the man's presence.

"Hokage-sama, how are you tonight?"

"I am doing just fine Uchiha-san, how are my two ninja?"

"Both are sleeping soundly." The man droned, "By may I inquire something?"

A nod signified the elder's approval.

"What was that metallic wolf?"

Sarutobi thought for a second before answering honestly.

"Truth be told, I have no idea. It was not a summon, that much I can be sure of. Kurenai did not make the necessary hand seals, nor is she in Konoha's archives as possessing a summon. I believe I have heard or seen something similar to this, but it was many years ago."

"It's a guardian, or at least that is a hypothesis that I have." A soft voice interjected.

"Ah, Haku-san." Itachi greeted. "Care to explain."

"I do not know for sure. However, I do remember my mother telling me of legendary animals that choose a person or a specific family to protect. This person was usually someone of a royal lineage or had close relationships with the guardian's species."

"That would be plausible, but Yuuhi Kurenai is not royalty." The Sandaime stated. "From Konoha's records, her family moved here only a few decades ago. However, ten years ago, her immediate family was slaughtered in one night."

"What? I thought she is known as the Ice Queen." Haku sincerely protested.

A sigh escaped the lips of the elderly ninja.

"She is only known as that because of the way she is with men. She does not trust almost one hundred percent of the male population, so she pushes aside any attempt at an advance on her. That has earned her the title of Ice Queen. Not only that, she does not have any affinity for Hyōton. Or at least she has not shown it."

Haku's world came to a halt. If Kurenai was not the Ice Queen she thought, then should she still go to Konoha? The Hokage did mention there was a possibility. But in order to see if it was true or not, Haku would have to seek asylum in the hidden village. Plus, where ever Zabuza went, she needed go.

Her sensitive ears caught on to a rapid beeping sound. It sounded like…like…a heart monitor!

"Hokage-sama, something's wrong!" she nearly shouted facing the door that led to Naruto's bed.

Itachi took no chances and burst through the door. What they saw shocked them. Naruto was gripping at his heart, blood oozed from the wounds his fingers made. His shirt had easily been ripped to shreds by the boy's strength. The heart monitor was squealing loudly and sweat cascaded off Naruto's body in waves. Instantly Itachi and the Hokage were at his side, trying to figure out what they could do.

"_Genjutsu!_" Itachi thought.

The men pried open the eyelids and activated his Doujutsu. Itachi grew frustrated.

"His eyes are unfocused and it appears as though he has receded deep into his subconscious. I cannot help because if I do, I may cause permanent damage to multiple areas of his brain."

Those words brought fear into the elder's heart.

"What is going on?" Rin's voice entered the room.

Upon seeing Naruto in his current state, she quickly appeared to his side. Green chakra surrounded her hands as she placed them upon his temples. Rin was utterly baffled by the analysis.

"I've never seen this before…"

"What is going on?" the Hokage demanded.

"Some sort of mental trauma is causing his body to go into a state of anaphylactic shock."

Haku watched in horror as the blond continued to thrash in pain. As she backed up, a hand grabbed onto her forearm. It was Kurenai.

"Take…." The woman began.

"Excuse me?" Haku insisted.

"Take me to…him." The red-eyed female pleaded.

The missing nin quickly helped her out of the bed. Kurenai wobbled at first, but through sheer will-power, forced her legs to steady. Every step sent a jolt of pain up through her appendages, but she pushed forward. Rin, noticing movement in her peripherals, instantly appeared at her best friend's side.

"Ku-chan you need to be in bed!"

"NO!" she whispered through gritted teeth. "Take me to Naru…"

Together the two females moved the injured one to the bedside. The medic nin hoisted Kurenai's legs onto the mattress as Haku lifted the other half. Sarutobi and Itachi watched in fascination as the Ice Queen's hand slowly reached for the boy's cheek. Upon contact, Naruto's thrashing slowed down, along with his heart beat. The blood-drenched hand gripped onto the pale white object that had touched his face. He held onto it for dear life. Tears began to flow from his eyes as a familiar scent assaulted his nose. She was alive, that much his subconscious knew.

"Little One…" she cooed softly in his ear.

The heart monitor's beeps decreased in frequency as the seconds trudged onward. Naruto began to return to consciousness, and as soon as he did, his arms wrapped around the injured woman. More tears escaped his shut eyes as he hugged her tightly. Naruto's head was buried deep into her collarbone. Kurenai returned the hug and began to caress the back of his head. Her ministrations did not stem the flow of emotions. Naruto cried as hard as he ever had.

"_She's alright! She's alright! She's alright!_"

Naruto's chest ached, throat constricted violently, and an unbridled hatred for himself encompassed his fragile mind. He had failed to be her protector. His word was as good as mud, and as a man, he had never felt so low.

"Let's leave them be." Came the silent order from the Hokage.

The two were left alone. Kurenai held onto Naruto.

"Shhh…" she whispered weakly "Everything is alright."

"No its not…" his reply muffled "I did not keep my promise. My word is as good as mud, but worst of all, I failed you. I am no better than all those other men!"

"Naruto!" she nearly shouted.

He refused to look up at her. With as much strength as she could, Kurenai tried to get him to look.

"Uzumaki Naruto, look at me." The woman order.

Still the blond refused. A weak sigh escaped her soft lips.

"Please, Little One, look at me…" this time she took a pleading tone with the blond.

However, this made him feel even worse. Slowly he craned his head upwards. With her left hand, she grabbed his chin. That way, he could not remove his gaze. Even in the darkly-lit room, Kurenai could clearly see those precious blue orbs glancing away. Now she was a little peeved at his stubbornness. A resounding slap echoed throughout the room, shock clearly evident on the male's face. After acquiring a hold on Naruto's chin again, his eyes finally met hers.

"Don't…Don't you EVER say that again!" she demanded, tears welling up in her eyes. "You will never be like all those other men. I saw the worry, the fear, the pain on your face when I was being beaten. None of those other men would show those emotions openly. The most they would do is look on me in pity."

She did not stop the tears from falling as she continued.

"I could see that you wanted me to stop, that I could possibly lose my life. It was my own stubbornness to prove myself to you- (sniff) that I was stronger than I use to be (sniff) THAT caused me to continue forward. It was my pride that caused my downfall."

"But I promised to protect you!" Naruto shot back. "I am only as good as my word and I did not keep it. I- I- nearly…"

Though a little angered by the retort, she allowed him to finish.

"I nearly lost you…" the finishing statement was barely above a whisper, but she heard it none-the-less.

Naruto's eyes were cast down to the floor as tears started to flow again. Her breath caught in her throat as she reflected on the meaning of the statement. Kurenai gave a squeeze to his chin, signaling him to look her in the eyes. Blue irises shifted from one eye to the other. He watched in pain as more streams of liquid cascaded down her delicate face. Taking one arm from around her, he slowly wiped away the tears. When he finished she grabbed onto his hand and held it against her cheek.

"Forgive me Little One." She whispered.

"But-"

A loving glare silenced his rebuttal.

"**I **chose to continue even though I knew I would further injure myself, **I** refused to heed your warning, and **I **caused you agony. **You** showed that you cared merely by looking at me with worry, **you** are here when no one else is around, and it is **you** that give me strength to continue on."

When she finished she kissed him on the forehead. A blush instantly covered the male's face.

"However, I am almost a full-grown woman. I will not always need my knight in shining armor. I am pretty capable of taking care of myself. Do you understand?"

"Hai Kure-hime."

"Good." She smiled bringing his head to rest on her collarbone again.

As Kurenai's scent enveloped the male, his body fell into a trance-like state. Before long, he was sleeping soundly. After adjusting so both of them were comfortable, Kurenai also lost consciousness.

{_**I guess I will wait until tomorrow…don't wanna ruin the moment…**_} a womanly voice echoed in the blond's head.

-**Several Days Later**-

Kurenai woke with a start. Within her dream, which turned out to be more like a nightmare, a large snake had cornered her in a dark room. The edges of its mouth appeared to have curved up, forming a sinister smile. Suddenly it reared its white scaled head back and struck; fangs large and dripping with venom. As all nightmares end, the snake never reached the woman.

"Naru?" she questioned rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

After hearing no response, she surveyed the hospital room. There was no familiar mop of blond hair in sight. Where could have Naruto gone?

Said male was strolling in the hospital garden and found out he was back in Konoha. The blond recognized the smells and sights of his home village. His shoulder's pain was at a dull throbbing now. Naruto's pain medication was helping significantly.

"_Where did that wolf come from? I have never heard of a summon animal without a contract, nor being able to appear without the specific hand signs. Is it even a summon at all?_"

{_**Well you won't know until you do some research.**_} a feminine voice broke his train of thought.

"_I take it that you are the third path._"

{_**It surprises me that you do not panic. Then again you have come into contact with my two brothers. Though one of them seems to be distancing himself from everyone.**_}

"_Yeah…I basically broke my contract with him._"

{_**Your word? I see…that will take a while to regain his trust. Anyway, that is not the reason I am here. Will you accept my pact?**_}

"_What is the price?_" Naruto countered.

{_**Bones…yours and those of your enemies.**_}

"_How will that work?_ _I need those._"

{_**True, but I just need some of your marrow to construct my form. Then I maintain it by draining it from those you fight.**_}

Naruto contemplated the implications. This could be very painful, but this weapon could be extremely useful.

"Painful?" he asked.

{_**Very much so**_…}

After listening to the birds singing in the garden, the genin gave his answer.

"Bring it!"

Naruto felt the weapon smile in his mind.

{_**Let's begin.**_}

At first the blond felt nothing, but that moment was fleeting. Instantly his hand and knees were driven into the ground, forming small craters. Naruto's back started to arch painfully up as small spikes burst through his skin and hospital gown. Teeth ground together as the young male attempted to fight through the pain. Sweat flowed from his pores as the weapon moved out of his body at an agonizing pace. The small spikes finished exiting; disk-like items followed. It came to the point in time where the boy was able to grab a hold of the protruding object near the base of his back. A painful whimper exited his throat as he pulled the item out. With each weak pull, another disk completely exited from his back. After five minutes of sprained pulling, Naruto found himself holding onto his own spine.

"What the-"

He tested the strength of the 'staff'. Using the spinal item, Naruto picked himself off the ground.

"What is your name and what exactly are you?"

{_**My brethren call me Hone- Mitsukai. As for what I am, tap that spine staff on the ground.**_}

"_Bone_ _Angel…_" the boy steadied himself before examining the spine.

Lifting the four foot long weapon into the air, Naruto slammed the tip into the ground. Instantly it lengthened itself to seven feet long. A thought struck him.

"So if this is my spine, how am I able to stand?"

{_Good question cutie._} Mitsukai cooed. "**I took bits of marrow from all of your bones and created my form. That way no bone is too weak to support your weight. I just constructed myself in the form of your spine. Now, swing me.**"

"I see…"

Naruto stabilized the base of the staff with his left hand and the middle with his right. He then flung it over his right shoulder. It spun around the appendage before being grabbed by the boy's hands. He continued to test its weight by performing a couple more flips and spins. With one more powerful swing, a scythe-blade ejected from the head of the spine. Seconds later, a few of the trees in the garden slid down at an angle and fell over.

"Oops…"

"**Oh my Naru-kun, I love the way you handle me.**" The weapon cooed suggestively.

Naruto blushed light pink before speaking again.

"Um…yeah…how do I hide you?"

{_**Place me on your back.**_}

Once it came in contact with the skin, the searing pain returned. The only difference was that the weapon was ripping into his flesh instead of tearing out.

"It's not always going to be this painful right?"

{_**I hope not**_. _**I would get sick of your whining eventually.**_}

"Hey! I highly doubt you know what it feels like!"

{_**You have no idea kid…**_}

After that comment, Mitsukai become deathly quiet. Naruto figured that she was no longer going to talk, so he returned to the shared hospital room. Kurenai was sleeping when he entered the room. Slowly the blond male limped over to the side of the bed. Naruto had to hold back a chuckle. The red-eyed female was clutching the pillow he had used to her chest, like a teddy bear.

"_Kure-hime is so cute when she sleeps._"

His hand moved strands of hair out of the woman's face. This movement caused her neck to be revealed to the caring blond. Guilt instantly assaulted his heart. There, upon her neck, was a bruise encircling the entire area. That boa constrictor had really done considerable damage. Hesitantly two fingers lightly brushed the injury. Each stroke brought forth another wave of heartache.

"_If I ever face that Anko person, I will do more than just clip her fangs._" Naruto subconsciously promised himself.

A warm sensation quickly brought the boy out of his internal rampage. Kurenai had grabbed a hold of the hand that stroked her neck and held it to her face. The young male instantly blushed. The woman's skin was smooth and warm; her hand also being very similar. Still she slept on. Absentmindedly Naruto began to stroke her cheek with his thumb. This caused a tiny smile to grace his maiden's lips.

-**In the Hokage's Office**-

Sarutobi had finished most of his paperwork for that morning. Due to this fact, the elderly man went to an old bookshelf. Each piece of literature appeared relatively normal in topic, except for one. After pulling the scripture out of its place, the wall shifted, moved, and silently revealed a secret room. The new room was lined with more bookshelves. Each containment unit possessed hundreds of scrolls, manuscripts, and the Hokage's personal collection of orange-covered books.

"_I have to re-read the series to refresh my old memory on Jiraiya's storyline. No! I cannot get distracted right now. Now where are those scrolls on the Yuuhi clan? Maybe this whole guardian thing runs in Kurenai's family._"

The Hokage searched for a couple hours before locating one scroll on the entire family. Gently the man pulled the scroll from the cobwebs and lightly dusted it off. It appeared that the item had been quickly deteriorating; much faster than it should be.

"_There is a stasis seal on this entire room. No scroll in here should be damaged. Unless-_"

Sarutobi nearly ripped the scroll open and caught a glimpse of a strange series of symbols.

"A destruction seal…Orochimaru's personal one…"

With a couple hand seals and blood, the Hokage removed the accursed brand. He was not known as the Professor for nothing. Nearly seventy percent of the contents had been erased. A heavy sigh escaped the aged man's throat as he collapsed into his chair.

"Well, I might as well see what I can salvage from this situation."

-**Three Hours Later**-

A loud smack sound echoed throughout the office. Sarutobi had read the scroll over and over but had only found tidbits of information. The Yuuhi clan had moved to Konoha from a distant land only a few or more decades ago. However, the tampered scroll had no information on the possible family guardian/summon. The man pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"What else could-"

Maito Gai burst through the doors with his Dynamic Entry, effectively interrupted the aged ninja.

"_Oh great…_"

"OH MAGIFICENT HOKAGE! I HAVE AN URGENT REQUEST TO MAKE!"

Said shinobi sighed before answering the over-enthusiastic man.

"Lower your voice Maito-san. What is it?"

"Gomen Hokage-sama, my request is corresponding to possibly entering my students into the Chuunin exams."

"Really? Aren't they a little young for such a dangerous test?"

"They may be young Hokage-sama, but they are all quite fluent in their given areas. Naruto-kun seems to be well versed in kenjutsu and ninjutsu. Lee-kun, my most youthful student, is extremely proficient in my personal style of taijutsu. As for Ten-ten-chan, her kenjutsu skills are mid-range chuunin at least. I know without a doubt that my youthful students will surpass everyone!"

"_If he says youthful one more time…_" Sarutobi reigned in his unfavorable thoughts before answering. "If you say that they are capable, then I will allow it. The next chuunin exams will be occurring four months from now. You know what to do Gai-san. Now, is that all?"

"Hai Hokage-sama."

"Then you are dismissed."

Gai bowed respectfully before stating one more thing.

"Have a YOUTHFUL day sir!" the man then proceeded to jump out the window.

A smack sound echoed throughout the office as the elder ninja slammed his head against his desk.

-**The Next Day**-

Naruto and Kurenai had been released from the hospital. The blond's wounds had fully healed, but the red-eyed maiden was given a two week recovery period. Rin refused to let her best friend continue to work after having such a horrendous experience. Still, since Kurenai had gotten the promotion to jounin, Kakashi and Rin decided to host a congratulatory party. Only close friends had been invited. Itachi, Gai, Iruka, and Naruto's team were those lucky few. After a couple hours, Itachi had to leave due to his little brother also receiving a promotion to genin.

"_So the kids that are my age finally graduated. I wonder how the teams will turn out._"

Iruka was also quick to leave. The excuse being that he had to go home and prepare his graduation speech and get all the test results input into the Konoha database. Once the chuunin had left the apartment, Gai decided to announce something unbelievable.

"You finally found a girlfriend?" the blond genin shot with a smirk, earning snickers from all those present.

"NO!" Gai bellowed, "I have decided to nominate you three for the chuunin exams."

Each of his students instantly began to contemplate this announcement's impact on their goals. Lee decided to be the only one to vocalize his thoughts.

"SOON I WILL PROVE TO THE WORLD THAT I DO NOT NEED ANYTHING BUT MY YOUTHFUL TAIJUTSU!"

"YOSH! THAT'S THE WAY TO THINK!"

The two carbon copies ran towards each other, arms spread wide, and tears falling down their faces.

"_OH CRAP!_" everyone mentally shrieked.

Kakashi, being a relatively quick strategist, skillfully reversed the impending situation.

"Gai there is no time for that. You must get to training him for the exams!"

"YOSH! YOU ARE CORRECT MY ETERNAL RIVAL! COME LEE! GREEN BEASTS AWAY!"

Both taijutsu users leapt from the window and ran off into the sunset.

"That was too close…" Kakashi sighed before returning to the chair beside Rin.

Naruto sat quietly while the last party-goers conversed. If the chuunin exam was in a month or two, his team would be on a mission hiatus. That amount would allow him sufficient training time. The blond was interrupted by Tenten's announcement that she needed to return home.

"Tell H**agane-sama hi for me.**"

"I will Naruto-kun." She smiled, bowed politely to everyone, and proceeded to leave.

Once the young kunoichi was gone, Itachi suddenly appeared.

"Kakashi. Rin. Kurenai. Hokage's Office Immediately."

Without another word all four jounin vanished. Since Naruto was left by himself, he decided to begin his chuunin exam training. After all he needed to get a better grasp on using Kageshin and possibly become more fluent in the use of his newly acquired scythe. However, Naruto sat on the floor, crossed his legs and entered his mindscape.

-**Hokage's Office**-

The elder shinobi scanned the room, counting the number of present ninja. After the last chuunin entered, Itachi cast a silence genjutsu upon the room. The Uchiha gave Sarutobi a nod stating all was well.

"This chuunin exam is going to monumental. I do not believe any of you understand the gravity of the situation."

It was not until the Hokage noticed the serious expressions on everyone's faces that he continued the announcement.

"The Head Samurai and his most trusted body guards are going to be in attendance this time."

All jaws hit the ground. Kakashi was quick to recover from the shock.

"Hokage-sama, what is the meaning of this?"

"Within the past year I have been receiving and sending letters with the samurai nation. They are set on forming an alliance; more like a cease-fire between our warriors. Ryuuzaki, the Head Samurai, specifically requested permission to attend the chuunin exams to see the strength of our nation. If our little ones can prove themselves to him, he will sign the treaty."

Sarutobi let the information sink in. After a moment of silence from the audience, the elderly man continued.

"It is imperative that no one shows any hostility towards the Samurai. They have staked their honor on not attacking or causing any problems with our ninja. Samurai may have been our bitter enemies, but they are honorable to a fault. They will be our honored guests and will be treated as such. If **ANY** of you cause any problems, you will be facing my wrath and the ANBU Interrogation Squad. Is that clear?"

"**OSSU!**" the entire crowd called out.

"If you have any questions please ask them now?" the Hokage ordered.

"Should we tell the genins who are participating in the chuunin exams?" a random chuunin asked.

"No. The genin will not find out until third stage and after everyone has fought the first round. This will take off any unnecessary pressure upon their shoulders. If there is nothing else, you are all dismissed."

Within seconds, the room was empty except for Itachi, Kurenai, Rin, and Kakashi.

"Did you not hear my last statement?" Sarutobi asked.

"We did, but something is bothering us." Rin spoke up.

"And that would be?"

Kurenai shifted her weight before boldly speaking, "It just does not make sense that they would want a cease-fire at this point in time. Not only that, but why only Konoha? Ninja and Samurai have always been bitter enemies. Hate has been ingrained from generation to generation."

"Ryuuzaki never came out and told me exactly why he wants a cease-fire or a treaty for that matter. I believe he might be looking for _something_…maybe even _someone_. However, that is my personal impression. Do not dwell on the matter too much. Return home and prepare for the chuunin exams. We have two months."

After a resounding 'Hai', the jounin exited the office.

-**Five Minutes Later With Naruto**-

Said blond sat in the middle of the floor as he contemplated his training regime. Mitsukai and Kageshin constantly gave him suggestions on what he could do. Suddenly Kakashi came bursting through the door.

"I hate meetings…" the man mumbled.

"Was it anything important?"

Kakashi contemplated releasing the information but decided against it.

"Hokage-sama just wants us to be our best behavior during the chuunin exams. You know, want to make a good impression on the other kages who are going to be in attendance."

Naruto nodded in confirmation.

"Is the Hokage free now?"

"Yep-"

The jounin was interrupted by the boy's disappearance.

"That gaki is getting quicker."

-**Hokage's Office**-

Sarutobi flinched as a blond blur crashed through the office window and collided with all the paperwork on his desk. A vein quickly developed on upon the wrinkled forehead.

"_It took me all morning to sign and categories those…he better have a good reason for destroying my entire day's work._"

"Jiji!" the genin yelled with a smile, "I need a place where I can train so that my chakra cannot be sensed. Also, I need a place that can handle a lot of stress."

"Let me get this straight. You need a training area that can handle destructive forces and where no one will be able to find you."

"Exactly!"

"Naruto, there is only one place that you could possibly do that in."

"Awesome! Where! Where is it!"

"Training Ground 13…Come…" he paused. "I will have to personally take you to it."

-**Three Miles From Konoha**-

Both ninja were walking in a dense forest; light barely able to peer through the leaves.

"Now Naruto, if you go in there, you will not be allowed to come out until the chuunin exams."

"So I will be here for two months?" the boy indicated the foliage around him.

"No," the Hokage stated. "You will be in here for two months."

The elder's foot slammed into the ground, sending earth and trees everywhere. After the dust cleared, Naruto came face to face with a gapping tunnel entrance. It was easily a staggering twenty by thirty foot wide opening. Once the initial shock passed, Naruto became serious.

"So you will come open it back up in two months?" the blond questioned.

"Yes I will."

"Then I will see you then Jiji."

Naruto turned and entered the deep cavern before it locked him in. Darkness ensnared every sense. As time passed by, the environment became more distinguishable. He was in a long hallway.

"Might as well start trying to find the main room." The blond male sighed before starting his journey down the tunnel.

It might have been twenty minutes before even beginning to see a speck of light at the end. Still, he trudged on. The closer he got to the light, the more another presence became detectable.

"_Someone or something else is here. Kageshin, do you sense anything?_"

The blade remain quiet for a few seconds before responding.

"**I do not know what it is, but I am sensing a lot of blood.**"

"I will proceed with caution then." The blond voiced aloud.

Kageshin instantly materialized before Naruto jumped into the light. A defensive stance was taken as eyes adjusted to the abnormal amount of illumination.

A massive dome ceiling hung overhead, connected to the floor by black walls. The floor was smooth and helped the light dissipate into the giant room. There was a doorway on the far side of the space, but due to the distance, Naruto could not read the message inscribed upon its surface.

"**That presence is gone…as if it never existed.**"

"Well I will leave you out for now. I have business with Tenshu. Keep watch."

"**Hai** **and good luck**…"

"Thanks…"

Entering the lotus position, Naruto began to recede into his mindscape. It took several minutes to completely calm himself, but once he did, the outside world faded entirely.

-**Naruto's Mindscape**-

The first thing the genin noticed was the sewer-like structure of his mind.

"_Well this place sucks already…I have some renovating to do._"

After a minute or two passed, the pipeline transformed into a style of a house's hallway.

"**Thanks for the upgrade there Naru-kun.**" Came a sultry voice from behind him.

Naruto whipped around to face the owner of the voice and was greeted by a beautiful woman, around twenty-eight years of age. She had bleached blonde hair that ran all the way to the small of her back. The bangs were pulled up and braided across her temples. She wore a simple sleeveless, cotton dress that hugged her midsection but flowed out from her waist. Dark purple eyes scanned the weapon wielder, a finger placed on the bottom lip as she contemplated her owner. The male stood there with his mouth agape.

"**You're staring master**." She blushed slightly.

"Mitsukai?"

"**Yep!**"

"But, how?" the male stammered.

"**Because we are symbiotic, we share a mental occupation. This**-" She giggled motioning to her body, "**-is merely a representation of me in your mindscape**."

"So all of you have one?"

"**Correct! We also have our own 'rooms' so-to-speak**."

"Then can you show me to Tenshu's?"

"**Of course! It's this way**." Mitsukai skipped down a long hallway.

Naruto walked after her, chuckling at her childish antics. As he started after the other blonde, he noticed an enormous door out of the corner of his eye. Turning to face it, Naruto came face to face with the twenty story gateway. He reached to touch it, but Mitsukai's voice broke his train of thought.

"**Naru-sama! Are you coming?**"

"I am!" the male answered back.

The moment he turned around, Naruto could have sworn he heard a threatening growl. Pushing the thought aside, he raced down the hallway. Together, the two traversed the winding hallways. Eventually the woman stopped in front of three doors. One was shadowed over.

"Must be Kageshin's…" the boy guessed.

"**Hai!**" Mitsukai's bubbly replied.

The one next to the Nodachi's must be Tenshu's. It was simple sliding door, but there were multiple black chains barring the way. Naruto turned the scythe, seeing her attempting to hide her door.

"What?" the boy asked.

"**Do even think of asking to come in.**" she warned with a glare that changed to a playful smile. "**Only when you have earned your way Na-ru-to-Sama.**"

Naruto blushed as did Mitsukai. She then quickly retreated into her room with a quick 'good luck'. The blond male then sat down in front of the chained door. He cleared his mind and merely sat there in silence. Since he was currently in his mind, Naruto did not know how much time really passed until Tenshu grew irritated enough to break the silence.

"**What is it that you want?**" the large blade basically yelled.

"Reconciliation…" the blond responded without opening his eyes.

A heavy sigh escaped the blade's lips.

"**Fine, you may enter…**"

The door slid open, allowing the boy to cross the threshold. Naruto was greeted with the sight of a man, fully clothed in a standard judo suit, sitting upon his knees. Tenshu was a broad man with dark hair. Currently his head was bowed, appearing to be meditating. The blond genin sat cross-legged in front of the powerful weapon. Both males sat in a pregnant silence for at least an hour before Tenshu spoke.

"**What are you proposing we do about our current predicament?**"

"What?" Naruto questioned, not exactly understanding the point Tenshu was trying to get across.

A sigh escaped the older man's lips as he raised his head. The genin's eyes widened in shock. A gruesome scar started above the sword's left eye, curved over the cheek, and ended at the chin. Naruto said nothing, waiting for Tenshu to explain his last statement.

"**Truth be told, you need me as much as I do and I hate sitting around doing nothing. However, I will NOT return to you without a price.**"

"What do I need to give you this time?"

"**Your left eye.**" Naruto opened his mouth, but the sword instantly responded, "**I will not take it from you. Basically I will be implanting myself in your eye. I will be able to see what you see and the like.**"

"Cool! I would gladly accept! You will be able to give me more detailed information on how to wield you and the other blades."

"**But mark my words Uzumaki…You break your word one more time, and I will make sure that I annihilate any chance of you ever being a ninja again. Do I make myself clear?**"

"Crystal clear. Now, let's go-"

{_**Naruto! Get out here quick!**_} Kageshin yelled through the mental link.

"Wh-"

Suddenly a blood-freezing roar penetrated the every nook and cranny of the mindscape.

"_I have heard that roar before._" Tenshu thought to himself as Naruto vanished.

-**Outside Naruto's Mind**-

The nodachi ripped from the ground as Naruto slash at the opponent. The mysterious attack vanished into the darkness of the hallway. Slowly, the blond male began to pop his bones and stretch him muscles. Two hours had passed in the real world, so his body was soar. After positioning everything back in place, Naruto glared into the darkness, Kageshin at the ready. It did not take too long for a pair of crimson orbs to appear. Refusing to even blink, he shifted to a defensive stance. Kageshin was clutched with both hands, the blade curved over his head and left shoulder. The instant the blade touched the ground by Naruto's left foot a silver streak tore from the hallway. Upon seeing movement, Kageshin's tip was thrust into the ground. The silver blur ricocheted off the long blade; sending a significant shockwave through Naruto's body.

"_This thing is powerful and fast._"

_**{Naruto! Here it comes again.**_} Kageshin yelled.

The blond flipped over the imbedded weapon to deflect another assault. After yanking the blade free, Naruto sprinted around the room, attempting to get some kind of indication of what exactly was attacking.

"Well if I can't get it through defense, I best go into offense."

{_**Just so you know Fishcake,**_} Tenshu's voice rang, {_**I will not be available for a few more minutes.**_}

A nod signified that he heard. Once again Naruto deflected an attack, and tried a counter-measure with the nodachi.

"KILATON SLASH!"

The chakra blade tore through the ground like paper. However, it missed the intended target, taking a large chunk of the wall with it. Dust and debris spread over the battlefield and both opponents waited for their vision to clear. Once it had settled, Naruto gasped in horror. Right before his eyes was none other than the silver wolf that had saved Kurenai.

"What reason have I given you to attack me?" the boy demanded.

It roared its response, echoing throughout his head. The blond removed one hand to steady the pounding headache.

"Sorry but I don't speak wolf."

The metallic animal seemed to understand, and sent a heated glare. It appeared to be looking down on the boy, as though he was not good enough. Naruto was barely able to decipher the meaning.

"So you are Kurenai's guardian angel?" the joke did not sit well with the feral dog.

It became a silver blur again as it struck out in anger. Naruto ducked just in time to watch its claw nearly take his head off. A counter slash slammed into the wolf's diving form, effectively launching the metallic animal upwards. Kageshin vanished, replaced by Naruto's newest weapon. Mitsukai called out in joy when the male grasped the handle firmly.

"Not now Mitsukai-chan."

{_**Sorry …Later then?**_}

"Fine…" a heavy sigh escaping his lips.

Naruto then proceeded to jump after the stunned wolf. After flicking the scythe's blade out, he hooked it around the animal's body. The male groaned as he began to swing the heavy beast in a giant circle. The stagnant air swirled, twisted, and created a mini cyclone of debris the faster he spun. Once obtaining the maximum momentum, Naruto released his opponent with tremendous force. The resounding explosion of the impact nearly destroyed the floor. Debris and dust once again found itself occupying the area.

"I hope it's done now…" Naruto sighed; landing softly, a little winded and off balance.

{_**I love the way you handle me master!**_} Mitsukai teased causing a blush on the young man's face.

Naruto suddenly heard a whimper of pain coming from the giant cloud of dust. His shoulders sagged as he released a heavy sigh. It was done.

{_**NARUTO!**_} Tenshu yelled.

It was too late. The silver beast tore through the dust and clamped down on the boy's left shoulder. Teeth scrapped against bones in his collar, back and chest. A scream of agony pierced the battlefield as the animal continued to clamp down harder on the shoulder. Both combatants collapsed.

"_Tenshu!_"

{_**Activate me!**_} the gauntlet cried.

The familiar metallic armor began to slither up the man's arm. However, the gauntlet was much slower in forming than before.

"_What is wrong Tenshu? It's so slow!_" Naruto stated through gritted teeth.

{_**It's been a while since you used me …our sync rate must be low.**_}

Naruto then decided to uses what was available. His left arm was utterly useless so he only had one more option. As the weapon continued to form, the boy sent a chakra enhanced fist towards the wolf's head. Thankfully the thing released just in time to evade. The shift of weight threw Naruto off balance and the fist collided with the floor. At first nothing happened, but after a few seconds, an enormous crater indented the ground. From the point of impact, spider wed cracks raced across the room, barely stopping before the wall. Naruto, with heavy breaths, pulled himself up. Blood flowed from the punctures. His body began to go numb as everything faded from his vision.

"NO!" the blond's will alone, keeping him conscious. "I refuse to lose!"

"Kageshin…"

The unspoken command was easily caught by the nodachi.

{_**Hai!**_}

The long blade materialized into Naruto's right hand. Instantly the blood stopped flowing from the wounds. Even the crimson puddles on the ground beckoned its master's wordless orders.

"Gather!"

Crimson liquid swirled around the blade and the wielder. The wolf's metallic lips curled back into a snarl as it prepared for the oncoming attack.

Naruto called out the technique in a dual-voice "**Crimson Willow!**"

The blood collected over Naruto's body. Slowly it formed a make-shift tree trunk and spread out to branches. Tendrils of red cascaded off the branches. A weeping willow tree finally finished forming. The size of the 'plant' was staggering. After its completion, it covered the entire space of the room. Naruto released one more word, initiating the attack.

"**SHATTER!**"

Wind seem to disturb the crimson tendrils before the whipped around wildly. Eventually the parts of tree broke apart and started rotating around the area. The wolf watched as one of the 'leaves' touched the wall. Instantaneously a large gash appeared. The sudden jump of movement should Naruto that the animal understood what would happen if it was touched. The tiny blades rotated faster…

Faster…

FASTER!

The speed was so great that the entire room was engulfed with crimson blurs. Gashes tore apart the ceiling, floor, and wall. Nothing was safe from the blood storm. Even debris was ripped apart. A few of the petals were able to graze the animal, effectively slicing it. A howl of pain exited its mouth; a heated glare directed at the blond. The two opponents held their respective glares before the wolf ran into the hallway and its entire existence vanished from the immediate area. With a sigh of relief Naruto collapsed to the ground exhausted. The jutsu soon disappeared afterwards.

{_**Naruto, I will seal up your wounds as best as I can.**_}

"Thanks Kageshin…"

{_**Get some rest Fishcake… we might have lost of day of training by we still have quite a bit of time to recover and improve.**_} Tenshu stated.

{_**Yeah!**_} the female weapon exclaimed. {_**We will show everyone just how powerful our master is!**_}

With that said and done, Naruto drifted from the realm of consciousness.

* * *

**Author-**** WOOOOOO! Almost 8000 words. This is somewhat of an apology for me so i added a lot more than a normal chapter. Once again I apologize for the epic fail on my part. It has been a really hectic summer for me and now the school year has begun. Well I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I will do my best to upload the next chapter really soon. Please review to let me know your thoughts. If there are any questions I will address them in the author notes in the beginning of the next chapter as well.**

**Next Chapter:**

**Two months of training**

**Chuunin exams!**


	10. There Is No Need To Fear

**Author: Well it sucks that I only got a few reviews, but I know it is my fault for being so lazy and getting busy with everything. Curse the business in life. College has been so hectic. It probably doesn't help that I am a graphic design major. I have to draw and paint sooo much that I barely have time to type, let alone sleep. Not only that, but finals really kept me busy. I hope this chapter will get some people to review and let me know how I am doing. Anyway, on with the story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything associated with Naruto, because even if I did, there is no way I could make it as awesome as it is.**

* * *

"Talking"

"_Thinking_"

Jutsu

{_**Demon or Summon Speech in Mental Realm**_}

"**Demon or Summon Speech in Physical Realm**"

-**Scene or Time Change**-

* * *

**Current Ages:**

Kakashi and Rin: 25

Iruka and Kurenai: 22

Naruto: 10 (with body of a fourteen year old)

* * *

_Chapter 10_

_**There is No Need to Fear**_

**-Two Months Later-**

Sarutobi stood at the entrance to the hidden training ground. As the earth began to shift and open, Naruto's chakra signature became detectable. Worry quickly set in as the elder Hokage noticed the lack of strength that it normally possessed. Before the man could sprint into the tunnel, a tuff of blond hair appeared. The boy was limping and covered in chakra burn marks.

"Naruto!" the man called in worry as the boy collapsed.

For as old as he was, Sarutobi was quick to grab the boy and teleport to the nearest medical facility.

-**Fifteen Minutes Late At the Hospital**-

Naruto awoke to the sound of machines buzzing and beeping away.

"I guess I might have taken it a little too far that last day…" the boy murmured.

{_**Naru-kun! Are you okay?**_} Mitsukai whined.

"_Yes I am quite alright._"

Naruto took in his surroundings. He appeared to be in a special room in the hospital. The walls were not the normal static white. A light blue paint covered the surface. A large chair displayed his fighting attire, and the bed he rested upon was exceptionally soft. It was calming. It was then the boy noticed the many tubes and IV's in his body.

"I hate needles."

Instantly every metal protrusion shot out; Kageshin then began the healing process.

"Much better…"

After escaping from his fabric confines, Naruto removed his hospital gown and started to clothe himself. Once his pants were fastened around his waist, the blond stared at the position of the sun. According to its current position, it was roughly around three o' clock.

"So the chuunin exams will be tomorrow?" he stated to no one in particular

"That is correct Little One." A feminine voice sang.

"Kure-hime…" Naruto breathed, feeling her presence and scent encircle him.

The blond turned to face his precious person and she gasped. Even though he was only ten, the boy had better muscular definition then most jounin men. However, that is not what caught her attention the most. There was a large u-shaped scar upon his upper left chest. The closer she inspected, the more she noticed that it was made up of punctures.

"W-what happened while you were training?" she gasped, covering her mouth. "_Did an animal attack him? It looks like a bite mark…_"

Naruto closed the distance between the two and embraced the crimson-eyed beauty.

"Let's just say that I was not the only one there." A sigh escaped his throat as her addicting scent assaulted his being.

Naruto did not want to tell her about the attacker being the very same wolf that had protected her in the Jounin exams.

"But do not worry," the blond looked her straight in the eye before continuing "I defeated the beast and was still able to become stronger during my absence."

Trusting the man was not a problem for Kurenai, but she sensed that he withheld information from her. This was most likely to cause her not to worry, so she decided to let his answer satisfy her curiosity for now. Suddenly, Naruto took the woman's hands into his own; head bowed down. An adorable blush encased his countenance as a stream of intelligible words exited the genin's mouth.

"I'm sorry Little One but I didn't understand what you said." She cheerfully giggled.

This only proved to further embarrassed the young male. With what courage he was gifted with at the moment, the blond's gaze bore right into those crimson orbs.

"I only have one more promotion to go!" Naruto basically yelled.

Now it was Kurenai's turn to blush. He did only have one more level to go before she would allow them to date. Being a Genjutsu master, Kurenai was very aware of the stress Naruto was going through right now. His hands were sweaty; griping tightly onto hers. She could sense his erratic heartbeat through the thumb. Kurenai's Little One was looking for a reply of some sort. After reigning in her raging emotions, she took a calming deep breath.

"You are correct Naruto and as of yet, there still lacks a suitable male to court me."

She saw and felt his body relax.

"Do you honestly think I would not tell you if I was considering someone?" Kurenai smiled sweetly, "You would be one of the first people I would reveal him to, just so you can make sure he is acceptable."

Naruto smiled back. It meant the world that she would make sure he knew. Not only that, but he would also get the opportunity to decide if the lowly man was good enough for _his_ "Hime".

"Now Naruto? Can you do something for me?" she questioned; a light blush adorning her face.

Naruto found it very cute and only nodded. He did not trust his voice at that moment.

"Can you put on a shirt? I don't want anyone to come in here and see that scar of yours. It might warrant some unwanted questions."

Naruto's mischievous side suddenly presented itself.

"Are you sure Hime? Judging by the drool, you prefer it to be off." He teased with a smirk.

"B-b-b-" the woman stammered, a full blush taking control of her features.

A laugh escaped Naruto's throat as he retrieved his shirt.

"You sure?" the boy teased again.

"Yes!" she stammered; an indignant look upon her face.

Once again the blond found himself laughing. His shirt was now on, albeit a little tight. Naruto paid it no mind and went to put on his nodachi vest. No matter how hard he tried, the blond could not get the four silver clasps to click.

"I think you grew again Little One." Kurenai smirked.

"I thought so too. After all, I think I'm taller than you now." The corners of his mouth curved up.

Kurenai refused to believe that and she closed the distance. She measured once… twice… thrice…

"I can't believe it!" she pouted, folding her arms. "I do have to look up to you now…"

Naruto was now a couple inches taller than her. A chuckle filled the room as arms wrapped around the genjutsu mistress.

"I'm sorry, but I refuse to be smaller than you."

He then brought his mouth to her ear.

"After all…" hot breath struck her ear, effectively sending a shiver down her spine. "How can I protect you properly if I cannot shield you entirely? Answer me that H-I-M-E…"

Once again she shivered at his warm breath.

"Na-na-naru…" she stuttered in a Hinata-like fashion.

Naruto's chest rumbled as he laughed.

"Now, if you will excuse me. I have more than just a vest to earn."

The male placed a quick peck on her cheek before jumping out the window. Kurenai watched the man leave, frozen to her spot. Suddenly realization hit her.

"He never checked out!"

She proceeded to jump after him, but she could neither see him nor sense his chakra within the immediate area.

-**Meanwhile with Naruto**-

Said blond was jumping from roof to roof aiming to go home quickly. After all, he needed to get new clothes. Though it was a little hard to concentrate with Mitsukai screaming in his ear about what he just did to Kurenai.

{_**Oh Naru-kun! You're so mischievous! Your little hime-chan blushed so hard! Kawaii!**_} she squealed.

{_**Mitsu, quiet down!**_} Tenshu ordered.

{_**You're just jealous of my Naru-chan's ability to seduce his woman.**_} she cooed.

A blush soon adorned Naruto's face at what the scythe was implying.

"_She isn't my woman yet Mitsukai. I need to pass this exam AND get promoted before I have the chance to say that._"

{_**But-**_}

"Hey you!" a gruff voice called out.

Naruto noticed some men standing on the ground. Taking hold of a post, Naruto changed his trajectory to the ground. Upon realizing who these men were, the boy was instantly on guard.

"_Samurai…_"

-**With the Hokage**-

The elder man sighed heavily as he worked on the bane of his existence, paperwork. Suddenly he looked out the window. His eyes grew wide upon realizing the time.

"Ryuuzaki will be here soon!"

With speed greater than anyone would expect, Sarutobi was dressed in the traditional Kage robes. His secretary nearly had a heart attack as both doors were flung open with tremendous force. A red and white blur shot in front of her, scattering all the paperwork she had just organized.

-**Back with Naruto**-

Naruto was frozen in place. There were ten samurai occupying the space in front of him. So many questions entered his mind. What were samurai doing in Konoha? How did they get past the gate without the alarm going off? Why are there only ten of them? There were many more, but it was of no importance compared to the "enemies" before him. Naruto decided to assess the group and hopefully figure out why they were here.

One appeared to be the leader based on his seasoned and aged look. To his right stood a man with a beard that started at his sideburns and wrapped around his chin to end at the other sideburn. This man intrigued Naruto to the most. He possessed a standard array of the traditional samurai armor. Three swords hung from his belt. Each one varied in length and thickness. What caught his attention the most, were a set of trench knives clinging to the man's forearms. The other eight samurai he paid no attention.

"_Ninja tools, on a samurai?_" the boy thought slowly taking a neutral, yet defensive stance. "What business do you have in Konoha?"

He primed his muscles so that they would be ready to make a move it if became necessary. A pregnant silence hung over the two factions before the three-sword wielding man spoke.

"What is your rank shinobi-san?" a deep baritone exited the man's throat.

"I am a genin samurai-san."

The elder man chuckled slightly before speaking.

"It appears Sarutobi-sama decided to not let the genin know of our arrival."

Naruto tensed at the statement.

"Your arrival? Are you here for the Chuunin exams?" the boy narrowed his eyes.

"Correct gaki." One of the other eight spoke.

This got a glare from the blond, effectively shutting said offender up.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto, not gaki."

A laugh split the tension in the air as the elder samurai put his hands up as a sign of neutrality.

"Well Uzumaki Naruto, since you were so kind to offer us your name, I will introduce myself." Seeing Naruto visibly relax, the man continued. "My name is Ryuuzaki. I am the Head Samurai in the Ice Village. The man you were analyzing a while back is my right hand man Asuma."

At that, said male bowed respectfully to Naruto. Though it was a bit awkward, Naruto returned the gesture. If what the old guy said was true, the boy was walking on thin ice. One wrong move could potentially start an unneeded conflict; maybe even war.

"Forgive my ignorance Ryuuzaki-dono."

Another laugh filled the air.

"You are in the right for your previous actions. It is quite rare for Samurai and Shinobi to meet on friendly terms."

Naruto nodded in understanding.

"If I may, to make up for my past rudeness, escort you to Hokage-sama personally."

"That would be-" Ryuuzaki began.

"Unnecessary Uzumaki-san." Another elderly voice rang slightly winded.

"Ah, Sarutobi-sama. It's an honor to finally meet you in person." The head samurai greeted.

"The feeling is mutual Ryuuzaki-sama."

"I see you have met one of our most promising genin already."

Naruto was shocked at the blatant praise from the Hokage.

"Really? Then I definitely look forward to the tournament portion of the chuunin exams."

"I will be sure to give you a show when I fight." The blond confirmed. "Now, I need to excuse myself. I have some preparations to take care of before I start the exams."

Naruto bowed politely to all the samurai present before disappearing with a burst of speed.

Ryuuzaki's countenance morphed from playful to business-oriented state.

"Hokage-sama, I believe we have a lot to discuss while we wait for the tournament."

"You are correct. Please follow me and we will continue where we left off last time."

Without another word, the two powerful men walked in step; the other nine samurai falling in suite.

-**With Naruto**-

He stopped by his house to change before leaping from rooftop to rooftop. Eventually he jumped over a wall and into the forest. Tree after tree whipped past the boy as he sped towards Training Ground Eighteen. This was the closest one and it would serve his purpose. After sitting on the ground, Naruto focused on storing up a high amount of chakra before calling out the technique.

"Kage Bunshin No Jutsu"

Fifteen clones suddenly popped up and looked directly at their creator, waiting for instructions. Walking up to each individual clone, Naruto whispered specific instructions. Without a word, the carbon copies jumped off into the distance. After the last clone had disappeared Naruto sensed a strike coming in from the sky and jumped away. The opponent slammed into the earth sending debris and dust into the air. A barrage of kunai flew from the smoke following up the previous attack. Naruto noticed a space wide enough for him to slip through the assault unharmed. He took it, but a figure burst from the dust. As the weapons flew harmlessly by, the blond realized he was stuck. A punch sent him flying across the training ground. Another volley of kunai shot from the surrounding trees closely followed by the mysterious attacker.

"_Crap…there's two of them…_"

Naruto started focusing a large amount of chakra into his chest. Within seconds it was dense enough for his intended purpose. Quickly he shifted the chakra from his chest to his right foot as he raised it off the ground. The blond called out his technique while sending his foot into the earth.

"Kilaton Drop!"

Large slabs of earth rose. Each slab slammed into each other, protecting the blond genin from harm. The technique was not done though. Naruto's opponents heard a quiet murmuring from within the pyramid-like stone defense. Suddenly one wall exploded in a storm of earth chunks. Every shard flew dangerously towards the two. The taijutsu user punched through the earth and brought up a giant root to protect himself and the kenjutsu user from a second barrage of projectiles. Once the assault had ceased, both combatants looked around the root; hoping to spot their single target.

"You two have definitely gotten better since the last time we were together. Lee- Tenten-"

"YOSH! NARUTO-KUN YOUR FLAMES OF YOUTH ARE ASTOUNDING!"

Tenten sighed before greeting her second teammate with a smile. Lee continued to spout about youthfulness in the background.

"It is good to see you again Naruto-kun."

"Like-wise. How was training with your dad?"

"It was great. I learned about five new techniques and my accuracy is almost unmatched by anyone." She cheered.

"Good, now I do believe that-"

"Dynamic Entry!" a deep, but loud voice shouted.

The new arrival's foot collided with Lee's face. Once again dust and debris obstructed the area.

"YOSH! LEE-KUN YOU NEED TO BE MORE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS!"

"HAI GAI-SENSEI! FORGIVE MY IGNORANCE! FOR MY LACK OF ABILITY I WILL MEDITATE FOR THREE DAYS STRAIGHT!"

"YOSH HOW YOUTHFUL OF YOU!" Gai yelled. "LEE!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

"Okay I'm out of here…" Naruto drawled, knowing where this would end up going.

Capturing Tenten's hand with his left, he began to drag her away because she was too horrified to move. Gai saw them leaving and stopped the hug session immediately. A kick from the jounin stopped against Naruto's forearm. A resounding 'smack' of flesh on flesh echoed throughout the clearing.

"It appears you have gotten stronger Naruto…" the man whispered.

"Only a little Gai-sensei. I am far from where I want to be, but I am slowly making progress. If you have anything you would like to tell us, please do so now. It is getting late and we all need our rest for tomorrow."

"You are correct. Team! Tomorrow you will all receive the chance to earn the title of chuunin. Granted, this is no easy task. Every aspect of your character and ninja prowess will be tested to the fullest."

Lee scooted closer to his idol, a blazing looking of determination resonating within his being.

"Truth be told, I do not care if you are awarded the title or not. All I care about is that you try your best. Prove your dreams to those in attendance and to yourselves!"

"HAI!" the three chorused.

"Now, you three will need to meet in room 301 at the academy at 10am tomorrow."

With that said and done, the spandex-clad male jumped off. Naruto turned to his comrades.

"Alright team, here's what's going down tomorrow-"

-**The Next Day**-

Naruto sat on the academy's roof, simply taking a nap in the morning sun. It was currently 9:30 A.M. and the blond sensed Tenten land upon the rooftop.

"Morning." Naruto called, not opening his eyes.

"Good morning to you as well Naruto-kun."

The two sat in silence. That is, Tenten sat in silence. Naruto conversed with his weapons while he waited.

{_**Naru-sama I am so excited! Will you be handling me during the exams?**_} Mitsukai asked.

"_It depends._" He said truthfully, "_Kageshin and Tenshu are the two that a couple people have seen._ _If I am fighting a group by myself, then I probably will. However, due to your specific capabilities, I prefer to use you only when I have to kill an opponent. The jounin have seen Kageshin and rare glimpses of Tenshu. You, however, have yet to be seen. I would like to keep it that way too._"

He could hear the disappointment in her voice as she whined.

{_**This sucks!**_}

"_Do not worry Mitsu-chan. If I am allowed to be a chuunin, you will definitely be coming out more._"

It was at this point that Lee appeared. Without an exchange of greetings, Naruto and company dropped from the roof onto the third floor. Gai appeared before them as they approached the room to the first part of the exam.

"Hello Gai-Sensei." They chorused.

"Hello Naruto, Lee, Tenten. I believe all of you are prepared enough. All I have left to say is good luck."

A quick salute and all three genin entered the room. Instantly every head turned to look at the new arrivals. Glares bore into the younger ninja. Naruto shrugged off the heated stares before taking a seat in the corner. His teammates soon joined him.

"Try not to draw any attention to us. The less the competition knows, the better." the blond genin stated in a hushed tone. Minutes passed and more teams entered the room. A lot of them were young Konoha teams. A lot of the newly arrived teams placed their focus upon Naruto and his group. After varied eye contact, the other team would cockily smirk. This blatant arrogance kept producing a frown on Tenten's face. After it had happened for the third time, said weapon expert reached for a kunai. She would wipe those smirks off their faces. However, when she reached her kunai pouch, she didn't grab the intended weapon, but a hand. It was Naruto's.

"Tenten, calm down." He commanded. "There is no need to cause friendly fire just yet."

At this point in time, a group of jounin and chuunin entered the room. After looking over the one hundred teams that occupied the room, the assumed proctor spoke.

"Welcome to the chuunin selection exam." A man that Naruto recognized was the said speaker.

"_Itachi is going to be the proctor?_" the boy mentally cursed.

Said Uchiha then began to explain the rules for the first part of the chuunin exams: a written test.

Each person began with ten points. If the question is answered incorrectly, one point is deducted. Two points are deducted when a participant is caught cheating.

"_Wait…when a participant is __caught__ cheating?_" Tenten deduced.

She sent a look to her teammates. Apparently both males had come to the same conclusion.

"Not only that, but when anyone on your team loses all ten points, the entire team has to retire from the exams and will have to try again next year. But be careful, how you answer these questions. It could possibly affect you further on in this exam."

After he finished his explanation, Itachi held a box with a small hole in it.

"Now, form a line and pick a number. Whichever number you pick, that is the seat you will be have."

It took ten minutes for all the contestants to withdraw their number from the box. Once everyone was seated, Itachi had the chuunin helpers of the exam pass them out. It was at this time that Naruto noticed exactly who he was sitting by. Naruto was completely surrounded by woman. On his left was a young female with bright blond hair and a fair complexion. She was moderate in body size, and had a cute quality about her. However, to his right, to say the least, was a woman. She was possibly around the age of eighteen. This was based upon how far more developed she was then the other contestants of the female gender. She possessed medium auburn hair pulled into high ponytail. Her bangs were long and covered one of her bright green eyes. She wore a black form-fitting Chinese battle dress that covered her deep cream colored skin. However, the top of the dress was open to reveal an ample amount of skin and cleavage. Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto could make out her long, slender legs. On the end of those tone legs, were a pair of stiletto shinobi boots that stopped three quarters of the way up her shin.

"_I would not want to be kicked by those!_" the blond instantly thought. "_Those heels could probably punch a hole through steel_."

Naruto sweat dropped as he noticed a lot of the male participants were drooling over this beautiful specimen. Even some of the chuunin helpers couldn't keep their eyes off her.

"_Typical men…_" Naruto thought. "_Then again, this could be one of her techniques for fighting._"

Yes, he would admit that she is beautiful, but, as cliché as it may sound; she didn't compare to his Kurenai-hime. The kunoichi sitting next to the male scanned the blond with her only visible eye. She took in his form with a calculating eye. Naruto could feel as his chiseled arms, his armor covered chest, nodachi sheath, combat pants and shoeless feet being traced over. It was at this moment, the woman's headband came into view as she twisted to get a better view of Naruto. Upon her right shoulder, sat the Kumo insignia. Deciding to be friendly, Naruto whispered to her.

"Enjoying the view?" He questioned with a tiny smirk.

A small blush adorned her delicate face.

"Oh, so you noticed shinobi-kun?" she whispered back unsure of herself. "I hope I could ask the same of you?"

"_Insecurity?_"

{_**Of course Naru-sama!**_} Mitsukai announced. {_**A lot of woman struggle with it. All because of what the stupid media says they have to be a specific size, body sh-**_}

"_I get it!_" the boy called back.

"I would be lying if I said no." a small chuckle escaped his throat. "Uzumaki Naruto…"

He offered his name, hoping to get a reply.

"Aiyoku…Arashi Aiyoku," she quickly replied. "It is a pleasure to meet you Naruto-kun."

"The feeling is mutual."

"QUIT TALKING MAGGOTS!" one of the chuunin handing out the test called.

The two resumed taking the test without another word.

"_Wait a second_," Naruto thought to himself, "_Why would Itachi tell us the rules before the exam was even given out? Was it to allow teams to coordinate with their teammates? Or is it all just a ruse to make us focus more on the implications than the actual exam?_"

The blond stared directly at Itachi for a good five minutes. Of course the jounin knew of this and stared right back. Both males continued to stare each other down. Suddenly Itachi's voice shattered the silence.

"Number 18, 56, and 82 get out…" the man ordered.

Naruto's eye widened.

"_How did he-_"

"What! We haven't done anything?" one of the genin protested.

"Get out before I remove you personally-" he enhanced his threat by drawing a kunai.

Instantly the three Konoha genin ran from the room. Naruto grabbed his head, a slight pain poking at the back, and sighed. This stupid exam was becoming more troublesome. A short heated glare shot at the Uchiha before Naruto began to answer the questions. Well he attempted to. Each question varied in sentence structure and length, but threw him for a loop was the fact that the questions appeared too easy. Upon further inspection of the paper, Naruto instantly sensed something was off. Normally these exams would have been printed due to the sheer number of contestants, but ink did not settle upon the paper like it was now. It was almost if the exams had been hand written.

"_Hmmm…. What would make them hand-write these?_"

It was this thought that led to him folding the test in half. After unfurling the paper, the crease was not visible. Nothing had changed on its surface.

"_Look underneath, the underneath…_" Kakashi's trademark phrase entered his mind.

"_Genjutsu…_" the boy deduced.

Nervous sweat gathered upon his brow as he focused a tiny bit of chakra to his finger. Milliseconds later, the letters began to shift around the page. The questions looked readable now.

"_Alright! Now to get this dumb test over!_" the blond cheered then face palmed.

Question 1: What was the Third Raikage known for? The questions continued on in a similar fashion, each rising in difficulty. Eighty percent of the questions had to do with the village of Kumogakure, the last two questions had to deal with a common knowledge of any shinobi.

No wonder he was sitting next to a Kumo nin. Itachi had literally chosen who every contestant was to sit by. This allowed the individual a chance to get the information needed. However, this was only possible if each person figured out there was a genjutsu on the paper. Then again, he would have to find some way to communicate with the lovely young woman beside him. A quick glance at her paper gave him the indication she had dispelled the genjutsu too. While he had scanned her paper, Naruto realized that her questions pertained to Konoha.

"_Kageshin?_"

{_**Yes Naruto?**_}

"_Is there any way you can send a message to the kunoichi beside me? I know you are made of my blood, so can you form words?_"

{_**Truth be told, I have never tried that. But in order for it to work, I need you to create a cut so I can control the blood flow. What would you like to convey?**_}

"_Equivalent exchange…_"

{_**I will do my best…**_}

Naruto used his thumbnail to make a small insertion on his palm. The crimson liquid slithered down his hand and onto the forearm. It slowly made its way under the desk and then traveled over to the Kumo kunoichi. Upon reaching the necessary spot, blood rounded the edge and began to form words. She caught the movement in the edge of her sight and looked down.

"_Equivalent exchange? Who is…_" she began before catching another slight movement in the corner of her eye.

Glancing over at Naruto, she saw a miniscule trail of blood running from the boy's limb. She responded with a tiny nod. Suddenly, a chuunin with a feral appearance began to sniff the air. The female ninja walked up to Itachi and told him about the smell.

"There's blood in the air." Whispered the chuunin.

"Hmmm…" Itachi's monotone voice drone.

Apparently Aiyoku had heard the comment and raised her hand.

"Um Proctor-san?" her sweet voice split the silence.

"Yes, Arashi-san?" Itachi remarked after looking at the participant papers.

"I need to use the bathroom."

"Can you hold it? The test should be over soon?" he countered.

"Umm…it's not something like that…" she bowed her head in embarrassment.

A tension-filled silence claimed the room. After a minute, Itachi broke it with a simple statement.

"Ah…" the Uchiha deadpanned.

Almost every woman smacked their heads at the male's small lapse into stupidity. A female chuunin went over to the girl's row and led her outside. Ten minutes later she returned. Thanks to all the chairs in the way, the kunoichi was stumbling a bit to get back to her seat. When she finally did reach her place, a chair leg tripped the young woman. Luckily for her Naruto was quick to catch her. Well at least he attempted to. She ended up collapsing upon the boys lap. Naruto blushed as she slid a piece of paper underneath his thigh. A blush crept onto the blond's face as she slowly lifted her gaze to his. The room's occupants' attention all collected on the pair as they were frozen in place. Aiyoku heavily blushed upon seeing everyone staring. Naruto was, more than anyone else. Well who wouldn't when the female had her abundant cleavage inches from your face?

"Iyaaa!" a melodic voice rang in everyone's ears. "I'm so clumsy sometimes."

Cue sweat-drop. Itachi looked at the young woman with his ever-present deadpan expression.

"Get back to the exam before I deduct two points from everyone." the proctor bellowed.

Naruto instantly helped her back up, all-the-while slipping a paper into hand. However, as her mouth passed his ear, she whispered.

"_Liking what you see Naruto-kun?_" she huskily breathed.

A deeper crimson adorned his face now. He had been caught.

"_Gomen…_" Naruto whispered back.

"_Don't apologize, just take responsibility. You owe me diner shinobi-san._"

A sigh escaped his mouth. The male had no way out of it.

"_Equivalent exchange?_" a chuckle following the statement.

"_Exactly._"

Distractions out of the way, the exam resumed without a hitch. Every five or so minutes, a team's numbers were called out and genin left. Some even cried! After seventy percent of the room was vacant, Itachi cleared his throat, gaining everyone's attention.

"Pencils down." After a quick glance around the room, "Only ten teams left…disappointing. Those of you who are left have passed the first section. Congratulations are in order." Itachi stated in his normal monotone voice.

Confusion spread throughout the genin at the man's statement. Itachi, seeing said bewilderment, tried to answer their unasked questions.

"Chuunin take on missions that will not always possess all the necessary information to complete their objectives. It is up to them to obtain that information as accurately and stealthily as possible. Sometimes, false information will be present and it is the responsibility of the chuunin to make a wise decision. The fact that you made it through this first section is proof of your prowess. All of you were placed strategically so that you had some way to obtain the necessary information. Though, that is only IF you got pass the genjutsu first."

The chuunin helpers then began to collect the exams. Once they were all collected, Itachi grabbed them and chakra visibly covered the papers.

"There, now that you all have passed, you might as well know that the second portion will commence tomorrow at noon. I will now let you proctor introduce himself."

Five minutes passed and no one showed up.

"_I have a bad feeling about this…_" Naruto commented mentally.

Ten more minutes crawled by, and still no one appeared before the attendees. Seeing this as an opportunity Aiyoku turned to the male beside her.

"So Naruto-kun, about out _date_-" she stated, emphasizing the last word.

"Where and when should I pick you up Arashi-san?"

"There is no need to refer to me like that. After what you've seen," the woman winked suggestively, "there should be no need for formalities."

"H-hai…"

"My team and I are staying at the Golden Forest Resort. My room number is 419. You can pick me up at 8:23."

A confused expression crossed the boy's face. Eight twenty-three? What kind of person would want to be picked up at such a strange time? A melodious giggle rang in his ears from the female.

"I'm not one for such cliché times and occurrences. Do well to remember that Naruto-kun."

He shared a short laugh with her before he replied back.

"I will do my best. 8:23 it is."

A small amount a killing intent was felt by the blond. Using his peripheral vision, Naruto spotted a black-haired ninja glaring daggers at him.

"Do not worry about him Naruto-kun." Aiyoku whispered. "He is a childhood friend and has always been over-protective of me. Try to pay him no mind, but expect to get the 'talk' when you come for me."

'The Talk' was something Naruto was very familiar with. Kakashi and Rin had been very gracious about sharing their stories on their personal experiences with it. Actually it was something Naruto had even rehearsed thousands of times for when/if Kurenai ever found a man worth her attentions. Once again turning his sight back to the woman, he nodded in understanding.

"I will make sure he has nothing to fear from me."

The two lightly conversed for another fifteen minutes before Itachi decided to send everyone away.

"Since it is obvious that your proctor will not be here in the near future, I will let your sensei know where the next portion of the exam with be taking place." Itachi droned.

Every chuunin-hopeful left the room, excluding Konoha's Team Ten and the Kumo team. Aiyoku's over-protective friend basically materialized beside the young woman.

"Is there a problem Aiyoku…" he glared directly at Naruto not even glancing at his teammate.

The blond rose from his seat and slightly towered over the other male. Crossing his arms, Naruto stared emotionlessly back.

"Stand down Katai." She commanded. "Naruto-kun is not threat."

A growl escaped the now named Katai as he begrudgingly stepped back. Suddenly smoke filled the room. Coughing was heard in the cloud of smoke. Kakashi lazy form greeted the few remain occupants of the room.

"Oh bother…am I late?" the cyclopean jounin questioned scratching the back of his head.

Not one person dignified his question with a response. They merely evacuated the room; leaving Itachi and the late arrival alone.

"I even told you five hours early…" Itachi droned before leaving in a swirl of leaves.

"Rin is going to kick my a-"

"HATAKE!" a womanly voice roared across Konoha.

"Ah crap…"

-**With Naruto and Company**-

Team Ten and the Kumo team walked in relative silence. Aiyoku was walking closely to Naruto's side. Every move was being inspected.

_{__**Either she is checking you out or she is trying to form an analysis of your skills.**_} Tenshu commented.

"W_hat do you mean?_"

{_**A lot can be derived merely from how someone carries themself.**_}

"_Really? Can you explain more?_"

{_**Alright…take a look at that girl's overprotective friend.**_}

Naruto glanced at Katai out of the corner of his eyes. No one noticed that the blond's left eye turned to a silver hue.

{_**He is left-handed, he does NOT like your closeness to his teammate, ninjutsu is his main source of attack, and he has killed before.**_}

"_W-w-what? How do you know that?_"

{_**The calluses on his left hand are thicker and more abundant.**_} Kageshin commented.

{_**His left foot is hitting the ground a little harder than the right. Katai is ready to spring at you if you do anything he does not like to **_**HIS **_**woman.**_} Mitsukai added with emphasis giggling in the process.

{_**Not only that, but his chakra stores are too large to be easily manipulated for genjutsu.**_} Tenshu finished.

"_The innocence in his eyes are gone. I see what you mean Tenshu. I will be wary of him during the remainder of this exam._"

{_**Good, now pay attention you are at the entrance to the Golden Leaf Resort.**_}

Naruto's eye returned to normal as he did a short bow and bid farewell to the Kumo team. Aikyoku and the third teammate returned the courteous gesture. Katai continued to glare at the blond genin.

"Tenten…Lee…Meet at our normal training ground. Sensei is probably waiting for us"

"YOSH!" Lee yelled running off into the distance.

The taijutsu-nut's screams of Youth slowly died out. A sigh escaped the only female member of Team Ten. She soon walked off towards the aforementioned training ground. After Naruto turned around a sultry voice called after him.

"Naruto-kun…don't forget about tonight."

"Oh, believe me, I couldn't possibly forget about it." Naruto called back before disappearing.

"Stay away from him Aiyoku-hime…he is bad news." Katai spat.

"I don't think I can. This man has peeked my interest." A mischievous smile graced her lips.

-**With Team Ten**-

Once Gai had informed the genin on the location of the second portion, Naruto instantly disappeared. After all, the male had a date to get ready for. On his way home, Kakashi unintentionally blocked his path; the ever-present porn book in his hand.

"Oi! Kakashi," Naruto sighed.

"Oh! Naruto, what a surprise." A familiar eye-smile shone on the Jounin's countenance.

"Quick question: What is meant by a cliché date?"

"Hmmm…" a hand rubbed his chin in thought "I would say arriving early, with flowers, dressed in your best, going to a romantic/candle-lit diner, a walk thru the park, and dropping her off at her door. Why do you ask?"

"I was curious as to what someone I met meant by it."

"Does Naru-chan have a date tonight?" Kakashi giggled perversely.

Naruto hid the blush on his face as best as he could.

"Stupid perverts…" the blond stated before jumping towards his apartment.

-**8 O' Clock**-

Naruto paced nervously in his apartment. Should he leave now? Did he dress well enough? So many questions fluttered throughout his mind.

{_**Naruto-sama**_} Mitsukai cooed, {_**Calm down. Just leave now, pick something up for her, and wait outside the resort until it is time.**_}

A heavy sigh passed his lips as he calmed himself.

"Alright. Thanks Mitsu-chan."

{_**Iyaaa! Thank me more.**_}

Naruto sighed at the scythe's antics. Locking the door on the way out, the blond strolled into the brisk night. Five minutes of walking gave him enough time to clear his mind. He stopped two times before reaching the resort. According to the giant clock on the front of the Golden Leaf Resort, the time was currently 8:20.

"Alright…419 should be on this side of the building."

Judging by the distance to her window, Naruto had quite a leap to perform. A burst of chakra signified his jump. He had reached the third floor on the first jump. Sticking to the side of the building, he contemplated which window was Aiyoku's.

"Well that should be 401…403…415…Ah! 419."

With one more jump landed on the small balcony of 419's room. Naruto tapped on the patio door and waited patiently. The door slid open and a young woman's head popped out.

"Ah! Naruto-kun." She cheered sweetly. "This is a surprise. I was waiting for you at the door."

Both shared a laugh. Naruto relaxed, his nervousness long gone. Something about this girl made him feel well..secure around her.

"You are definitely doing well with this non-cliché date."

"Well then Aiyoku-chan, shall we?" he offered her his hand.

She gratefully accepted, but did not expect to be picked up bridal style. With her in tow, Naruto jumped from the balcony. Landing quietly on the ground, the male placed his 'cargo' gently on the earth.

"My! What a gentlemen." She giggled.

Before they walked off, Naruto handed her a coat. It was now he took in his date's attire. Her hair was down from its high ponytail; cascading down her back and shoulders. Nearly a third of her face was hidden by the long bangs. She wore a light purple lipstick and a dark blue eye-shadow. Her dress, similar to her ninja gear, was a simple, form-fitting, Chinese dress. This one, however, was midnight blue in color. It was sleeveless and revealed a lot less cleavage than her normal battle attire. The slits in her dress stopped around the middle of her calf/shin. Regular ninja sandals covered her delicate feet.

"Where are we going Naruto-kun?"

"Hmmm… truth be told, I haven't thought that far ahead." He laughed lightly.

Aiyoku's sweet giggle caressed his eardrums.

"This is definitely already a one-of-a-kind date."

"I take it that men ask you out a lot then." He countered with a smirk.

"That's for me to know and you to find out." She answered with a wink.

The two walked for eighteen minutes before Naruto spotted the location for the date. _Akimichi's Grand Restaurant_ stood tall over the two ninja. Naruto had been here only a few times, but every occasion filled him with warmth and delicious food.

"Would you like to eat here Aiyoku-chan?"

"Um…"

"The Akimichi clan is known throughout the shinobi nations for their culinary abilities. I have been here a few times. They use only the best ingredients. Every single menu item aims to fit the customer's specific make up. The experience is unique."

"Lead the way!" she ordered, dragging the male forward.

Upon entering the establishment, the couple was quickly greeted and ushered to a booth. Aiyoku glanced at Naruto, who was illuminated by the over-head light. It was only at this time that the young female gazed upon the attire of her date. Blue jeans hand loosely around his waist. His torso was covered by a simple black, button-up shirt. Nothing tamed the wild mass of blond locks. All in all, Aiyoku consented that Naruto cleaned up very well.

"Excuse me," a heavy-set waitress broke the silence. "Have you two decided upon your meal tonight?"

"Yes, I would like the steak sukiyaki." Naruto stated before outstretching his hand.

The waitress then proceeded to take it in hers, closed her eyes, and appeared to be meditating. After five seconds, the large woman scribbled a few things down.

"I see you are still eating well Uzumaki-san." A gentle smile spread upon her features.

His date quirked her brow at the exchange.

"I try my best Akamichi-san."

Expectantly, the waitress turned to Aiyoku.

"I would like the onigiri platter." The Kumo ninja ordered.

After writing down the order, the older woman put out her hand.

"Give her your hand Aiyoku-chan." Naruto smirked at the confusion clearly visible on her face.

"It's okay Honey," Akimichi offered another smile. "I don't bite."

Naruto chuckled lightly as she finally placed her hand within the waitress's. Repeating the same process from earlier, the special notes were placed on the notepad, and she then disappeared into the kitchen.

"What was that all about?" the young lady questioned.

"The Akimichi clan has a strange ability. By touching a person's body, they can determine if the body is in optimal condition. Basically a clan member can sense if maybe there is a toxin in your muscles that might cause you to cramp up. Using this ability, a person's food is cooked using specific ingredients to tailor to these 'malfunctions' within."

"That is an extraordinary ability."

"And very beneficial to anyone who consumes the cook's concoctions."

Ten minutes trudged onward, only small-talk sedating the silence.

"Will my food taste weird?" Aiyoku inquired nervously.

Naruto chuckled before answering.

"Not at all! In fact, there has yet to be a complaint since the founding of this restaurant."

"How long ago was that?"

"Shortly after the founding of Konoha!" a gentle voice interrupted.

"Ah! Food!" Naruto chorused as his food was placed before him.

The big waitress laughed at the boy's antics.

"There is never a dull moment around you Uzumaki-san."

After leaving the couple, both ninja dug in with a restrained fervor. Not a lot happened within the time it took to finish the meal and pay. Naruto just talked about some of neat places of interest within Konoha, and Aiyoku described some of the dates she had been on.

"-that wasn't the worst part though." She commented while holding in her laughter. "He got me black roses, because they matched my dress."

"Wow!" Naruto chuckled while he walked along side his date.

"So do you have any past dating experiences?"

An innocent question, but one that left the blond contemplating.

"I'm not sure I can say that I have."

The Kumo kunoichi looked at him as if he had grown a second head.

"What?"

"Well you fooled me Naruto-kun." She smiled sweetly.

By this time, the two ninja had arrived at the Golden Lead Resort. Heading up the stairs, to the third floor, Naruto escorted her to room 419. Aiyoku absentmindedly searched for her room key. After finding the elusive item, she turned her attention to the blond male.

"I must say Naruto-kun. That might have been the most non-cliché date I have ever had." She giggled lightly.

"I am glad you enjoyed it. Until next time, Good night Aiyoku-chan."

The young woman unlocked her door and crossed the threshold. With one more glance over her shoulder, she stated one last thing.

"I look forward to our next _encounter_."

Naruto noticed a glint in her eye as she stealthily slipped into her room. It was partially mischievous and possessed a hint of something he could not quite identify.

"_What do you think Kageshin, Tenshu, Mitsukai?_"

{_**She will be a difficult opponent if you face her.**_} Tenshu flatly stated.

{_**I second Tenshu's assessment. Just the way she carried herself, gave off the impression of an experienced fighter. Also there is something about her that makes me uneasy.**_}

"_What gave you that idea?_"

{_**I don't know about you, but I felt TOO comfortable around her. Especially when she is from a village that has been bitter enemies for decades.**_}

"_I see your point Kageshin. I will be more wary of her._"

{_**That woman better think twice before trying to seduce Naruto-sama!**_} the scythe bellowed.

"_WHAT!_" Naruto questioned. "_How did you determine that?_"

{_**Call it a Woman's Intuition.**_}

Naruto sighed before leaving. However, he failed to notice the door behind him was slightly ajar.

"I told him to stay away from Hime…" a growl broke the spectator's train of speech. "I will paint the battlefield with his blood…"

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**Author: Woohoo! Over 9000 words! There you go peoples. Once again I apologize for my laziness and lack of updation. I have been forced to take off this next semester so I hopefully can work more on my story in my free time. After all, I don't have to do any 20-hour drawings. YES! Anyway, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE review. I cannot improve my writing abilities if I am not informed on how I can do better. But remember, if you do want to tell me something is wrong, do so in a respective manner. Now that that is done. I am off! Until next time, Ja Ne**


	11. Even Though I May Die

**Author: Thank you all for the encouraging reviews as well as the constructive reviews. After I had finally thought I was free, I wound up getting another job. Not just that, but it was the Graveyard shift. This added in with my day job left me little to no time to write let alone get an adequate amount of sleep (usually would range from 3-5 hours a day, sometimes only 6 in 48 hours). And not just my ability to write suffered. My social life was shot to pieces. These past months have been pretty stressful for me. Luckily I was able to bring it down to one full time day job now. The process has been exceedingly slow in getting back into the groove of things.**

**Anyway thanks again. Now I will address some of the reviews.**

**_torasuto kotonashi-_ Truth be told I am not quite sure if Kurenai was going to find out. The whole date event actually was a last minute decision. I have thought about both ways, but I hope you like the outcome either way.**

**_Tristan76_-I'm not going to lie, I enjoy reading your reviews. **

**Also a special thanks to Starfire99 for giving me a well deserved kick in the butt for my lack of updating. I pray this chapter is to your guys' liking.**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything associated with Naruto, because even if I did, there is no way I could make it as awesome as it is.**

"Talking"

"_Thinking_"

Jutsu

{_**Demon or Summon Speech in Mental Realm**_}

"**Demon or Summon Speech in Physical Realm**"

-**Scene or Time Change**-

* * *

**Current Ages:**

Kakashi and Rin: 25

Iruka and Kurenai: 22

Naruto: 10 (with body of a fourteen year old)

* * *

_Chapter 11_

_**Even Though I May Die**_

Naruto woke with a start. Today was the day of the second portion for the Chuunin Exams. As that realization came to light, the boy's mood grew. Grabbing his gear, Naruto leapt out his window. Buildings slide by as the blond proceeded to his team's usual meeting place. After thirteen minutes at a steady pace, Naruto landed soundlessly next to his female comrade.

"Ohayo Tenten."

"Ah!" she squeaked, not expecting him "Gomen Naruto. I guess I am nervous for the second portion of this exam."

A light laugh exited the male's throat.

"No worries. Remember you won't be alone in this part. Have some faith in your team." A smile gracing his features.

"Hai…"

"YOSH!" an over-excited voice rang throughout the clearing.

"Now that the team is all here, let's head to the objective." Naruto stated jumping off into the distance.

-**Training Ground 89**-

Kakashi sat on a stump as he waited for the contestants to arrive. A sweat drop appeared upon his brow as the man realized that he had been tricked to arrive earlier than everyone else.

"_Curse the Hokage…I have a reputation to uphold…_"

Someone landing on the ground was accompanied by a sigh from the cyclopean jounin.

"Wow, Hokage really knows how to get people to listen to him." The voice called, the humor in the statement not hidden from the older male.

"Naruto." Kakashi greeted half-heartedly.

The blond returned the greeting with a nod. Naruto took up a spot upon a nearby rock. Closing his eyes, the chuunin-hopeful focused upon his surroundings. Both teammates soon joined him. It didn't take long for the other teams to start arriving. However, the instant the Kumo team showed up, the female member quickly appeared by the blond male.

"Well hello Naruto-kun." She cooed bending down to eye level.

"Right back at ya Aiyoku-chan."

When he opened his eyes, the Naruto got an eyeful of her womanly assets. A heavy blush smeared his countenance. Blood was slowly making its way to his nose. Attempting to hide his…condition, Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose in fake irritation.

"Aiyoku, I really wish you would stop doing that…" he muttered to himself.

A hand upon her shoulder brought the young woman's body upwards. Katai glared, seeping killing intent from almost every pore of his body. It was very subtle but Naruto was able to feel it. Naruto's gentle look vanished in an instant as he stood. Leveling a glare at the shorter boy, the two males stared, challengingly, at the other. No words were exchanged; only slight twitches of the facial muscles gave any hint of their visual 'duel'.

"YOSH! A BLOSSOMING RIVALRY!" Lee shouted and started doing single-fisted pushups in his excitement.

Tenten smacked her forehead and Aiyoku raised her eyebrow. Katai and Naruto paid the boy no mind. Kakashi viewed the entire duel from his place near the entrance. His eye visible widened as the air appeared to distort between the two.

"_I should probably diffuse the situation before things get out of hand…_" he said getting ready to intervene, "…_troublesome brats…_"

-**Nara Clan Household**-

Every male in the compound let out a large sneeze. Two in particular launched the Shoji board across the room via said sneeze.

"Someone used our phrase dear son…"

"It appears so father…"

"Should we go-" the boy inquired.

"No." the dad interrupted.

"Then how about picking up-"

"No."

"Why?"

"Too troublesome…" the older male shrugged nonchalantly.

Soon the two people decided to take a nice nap.

-**Back with Kakashi**-

"Now-" the jounin began.

Aiyoku quickly squeezed between the two testosterone-filled males. First she faced the blond, her hands and body rest upon his chest. Lightly she pressed into him before speaking. Suddenly a small scent filled Naruto's nostrils. Just as quickly as it had appeared it vanished; giving no time to analyze the…intriguing aroma.

"_What was that…_" Naruto pondered before returning his attention to the woman.

{_**Something is off…**_} Mitsukai growled.

"Naruto-kun, please pay no mind to my teammate." With a slight turn of her head and a single eye, she glared warningly at Katai. "He tends to forget his place from time to time."

Katai's eye softened enough for everyone to notice. Tenten winced slightly as the genin's reaction. It was not one of adoration but of hurt, bordering on betrayal. It was quite apparent Katai did not like the attention his teammate was giving to Naruto. After all he is a ninja from KONOHA, the long-time enemy of Kumo. Begrudgingly the Kumo male slinked backwards half a step. One more glance between himself and Naruto occurred before he appeared by the third member of their team. The boy's back facing the four. Aiyoku remained where she was, even after granted the extra space. Meanwhile, Naruto was busy processing that all-too-familiar look to notice at all.

"_That look…_" Naruto strangely sympathized. "_Something is going on here, but what could it be._"

"Now that he's gone-" still she remained close to the blond.

"Be a little kinder to him Aiyoku. He may be over-protective, but he is just showing his concern for your safety. After all, this is a foreign village and I am a foreign ninja. It could be dangerous to be near me, especially since we are technically against one another."

His comment made her scoot back. Pushing out her bottom lip, a cute pout adorned her unblemished face. Even Lee was blushing at said cuteness.

"Ah…" she whined, "I know you would not harm me."

A quirked eyebrow garnered a continuation from her. A mischievous smile replaced the pout. Before the three Konoha ninja knew it, Aiyoku was pressed into Naruto AGAIN, her supple lips centimeters away from his ear.

"_Because, you are already under my spell Na-ru-to-kuuuuun._"

Her voice was husky and Naruto could not stem the small trickle of blood that ran down his lip. Her hand slowly caressed his cheek as she sashayed away.

"_Naruto you lucky ba-_" Kakashi thought before a glare from said blond stopped him.

It clearly stated: "Say anything and I'll tell Rin where your secret collection is." The silver-haired shinobi eye-smiled at the attempt of a threat. Now it was Naruto's turn to smile. Another wordless exchange gave the jounin a nervous sweat.

"_No…he couldn't know where my other collections are hidden? Could he?_"

A small nod from Naruto heightened the man's blood pressure.

"Damn blonds…"

It was at this point in time that Kakashi realized that all the contestants were present.

"Alright kiddies," he called out, gaining the attention of everyone. "It is time for the second portion of the chuunin exam."

Every shinobi was instantly near the lazy jounin.

"Welcome to Training Ground 89; also called the "City of the Forgotten". A long time ago a massive battle took place on the outskirts of Konoha. The damage done from the aftermath made the area dangerous to even demolish. It was eventually fenced off and made into the training grounds. This portion of the exam will be more like a survival test."

"What will we be doing for this test?" one of the Konoha teams questioned impatiently.

"You know," Kakashi eye-smiled "The impatient ones are usually the first to die…"

Said genin took a step back in fear.

"Now, as I was saying, the test will consist of surviving for seven days within this training ground. Each team will be granted supplies to survive for at least 3 days."

The man paused to retrieve slips of paper from one of the many pouches on his vest.

"These are slips for voluntary involvement. Basically, if you die, I won't be blamed for it." He finished with an eye smile.

Naruto didn't hesitate one second. Grabbing the slips of paper for his team, the boy returned to his team. Katai and his comrades quickly followed the blond's example. One by one, every participant retrieved their slips, signed, and returned them. Once everything was in order, Kakashi acquired everyone's attention.

"If everyone could line up with their team and proceed to the seal array by my right, we can begin the second portion of the exam."

Lined up and ready to go, Kakashi continued his explanation.

"The seal will teleport you to a location within the training ground. Your supplies and further instructions will be waiting for you. Any questions?" seeing no raised hands "Have fun and don't die! Cleaning up is not fun at all…"

The first team vanished into thin air.

-**Fifteen Minutes Later**-

**-DAY 1-**

Naruto rose from the ground after regaining his equilibrium. First he checked upon his teammates. Lee was already standing and raring to go. Tenten took another couple of minutes to balance out.

"What is this place?" Lee commented.

From what Naruto could gather, they were atop a tall building; judging from the fact the team could see at least five miles in every direction. Not only that, but the portion they were standing on was also tilted. Some of the building had even been sunk into the earth.

"Let's get off this roof. We might have a great view, but we can easily be spotted."

"You're right Tenten. Let's see if we can find the lowest floor in this place. We'll make our base of operations there."

The trio grabbed the supply bag lying at their feet and headed through the roof access door.

-**10 Minutes Later**-

"Are you insane!" Tenten shouted.

"I don't find a problem with it." Naruto shrugged.

"YOSH! THIS WILL TEST OUR STRENGTH OF HEART!"

Tenten was furious. Why did she have to have these two on her team? The young girl once again looked at the double-doors before them. Of all the buildings they had to be teleported to, it had to be a hospital. Not only that, but on the lowest level contained…a cold shiver racked her spine.

"Why did it have to be a Morgue…" she whimpered.

"Fine," Naruto huffed, kicking open the door. "I'll check the racks for bodies."

Before Tenten could stop the blond, Naruto disappeared into the dark room. The rusted metal door slowly creaked closed. Every once in a while, a distinct grinding sound would permeate the hall and then a slam followed. Each sound echoed and made the weapon mistress jump. Three more minutes passed before the door slowly creaked opened. Naruto walked out brushing his shoulders. Tenten released the breath she had not known she had been holding.

"It's all clear. It's dusty and old, but it will suit us. The cremator has a huge chimney that we can use as an access point. It will also help provide a place to start a fire and heat the area."

It took the team twenty minutes to completely set up their 'base of operations'. After everything was set, Naruto turned to his fellow companions.

"Lee. Scout out the area. See if you can locate any teams near our position. Tenten. Set traps on each and every floor leading to this place. There is no such thing as overkill in this situation."

The weapon mistress grew a dark grin upon her countenance. It scared both of the boys to the extent that they took a few steps back. Naruto was the first to gain his courage.

"Um…so…LEE! I think now would be a perfect time to remove your weights. If you are caught, the rest of us will be in severe danger. In this test it is imperative to not lose a single member." He stood tall before making his final order. "I will search this building to see if I can rummage any supplies as well as find any extra escape routes. You have your orders. MOVE OUT!"

"OSSU!" they both called before starting their individual tasks.

"Kage Bushin no Jutsu" the blond whispered, forming this trademark hand sign.

Eight clone poofed into existence.

"I want a two hundred foot perimeter set around this building. Four of you take north, south, east and west positions. The rest of you fill in the gaps. Disguise yourselves according to where you position may be."

"HAI BOSS!"

Once the clones disappeared, Naruto set to work exploring the hospital. Hours flew by and the sun eventually began to sink below the horizon. The morgue was deathly quiet upon his entry. His two teammates had yet to arrive, so he decided to start a small fire to warm the room. Lee was the first to arrive.

"Yosh! I never stopped running from the moment I left. Such youthful training!" the boy stated placing his weights back on.

"Oh brother…" a feminine voice sighed. "Lee, you need to be careful. We can't afford any one of us to be exhausted. We will need every bit of energy in order to survive."

"She's right Lee. Leave nothing to chance. Use only what you need."

"Gomen…" Lee's head hung low in shame.

His teammates padded a shoulder, reassuring the taijutsu specialist to 'just remember for next time'.

"Now, down to business." Naruto started. "Tenten?"

"Yes?"

"I would like you to handle the food and first aid. You like to diet and definitely have a better understanding of what our bodies need. Can you do this?" he asked holding the supply bag out to her.

Tenten accepted with a nod of her head.

"Breakfast will be the biggest meal. It is what gets the body going for the day. Then the meals will get smaller." She thought for a few moments before continuing, "Also, I was thinking that we do four-hour shifts for watch duty. This will allow us all to get eight hours of sleep, as well as give us plenty of time to search the area for supplies, other teams, and so forth."

"Then it's decided. One person will stand guard. I trust Tenten put the term of "overkill" to shame with her traps. I highly doubt anyone could get through my shadow clone perimeter and those traps without detection. However, if problems come to fruition we will be forced to change the sleep/watch schedule."

"Then I will take first watch!" Lee called pumping his fist into the air.

"I will take the second shift then." The blond stated.

With the rotation decided, Naruto and Tenten set about making their beds and lay down.

"Wake me in four hours Lee. It would be un-youthful to be even a minute late."

Tenten sighed as the taijutsu user 'YOSH'ed and Naruto chuckled.

"_Men…_"

Eventually the room fell deathly quiet. All that broke the silence was the soft breaths of the unconscious. Lee sat cross-legged, straight back, and waited patiently for the time to pass. Of course, he was too full of energy and began to do pushups.

-**Four Hours Later**-

**-DAY 2-**

"9985…"

Naruto groaned. His bed was rock solid.

"9989…"

Did he fall off his bed again?

"9993…"

And what was the perpetual COUNTING!

"9996…"

The blond male jumped to his feet, ready to pull Kageshin from his sheath.

"10,000! Yosh! Tied my record!"

"Lee…dare I ask what you were doing?"

"Push-ups my youthful comrade. I got tired of waiting so I thought I would get a little training in."

"_A little? What has Gai-sensei been filling his head with?_" a sighed escaped Naruto's mouth. "Well it is my turn to keep watch. You go to sleep. I will wake Tenten when it is her turn."

After giving the "Nice-Guy Pose", Lee was out like a light. Naruto soon summoned Kageshin on top of his lap. He began to meditate with the blade; the scythe and double broadsword joined in.

"_What do you guys think so far of the exam?_"

{_**This will be a worthy challenge.**_} Tenshu retorted.

{_**There are at least two teams you will not have to worry about. Those Konoha punks, on the other hand, know their place. That Aiyoku girl and her team will be the one to watch out for. She has been up to something ever since your first encounter.**_} Mitsukai stated, rather disgruntled at the woman's advances on her master.

Kageshin decided to stay silent for the moment, seemingly focused upon something else.

"_Well I for one hope that we do not cross paths in this portion of the exam. I bet Katai would jump at the chance to kill me._"

{_**The boy will definitely be an opponent to be wary of. He may be a genin, but I know he is a seasoned warrior.**_} the double broadsword informed. {_**Just because that Kumo woman has him wrapped around her finger, does not mean he is a push-over.**_}

"_And if he is a taijutsu expert like Lee, he will be giving me trouble. The only reasons I have even been able to beat Lee is due to his lack of chakra and he is always wearing those weights._"

{_**Well I can teach you a few 'moves' Naruto-kun…**_} Mitsukai cooed.

Resisting the urge to palm his forehead, Naruto decided to address the silent Nodachi.

"_Hey Kageshin-_"

{_**Something is watching us!**_} the blade interjected. {_**I smell a LOT of blood nearby and the source is moving…**_}

Naruto wasted no time. Drawing the blade, he cautiously moved to the door. Utilizing the small windows built into the door, he peeked through the least dusty portion of the glass. At first there was no sign of movement.

{_**Let me give you a boost Naruto.**_}Tenshu whispered.

Silver coloring appeared around the pupil in the left eye. Once again, no movement, however; there was that unpleasant feeling of another's eyes upon him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, his skin goose-bumped instantaneously. Several tense seconds oozed by.

{_**THERE! Left side, fourth doorway.**_} Mitsukai burst out.

Indeed, there was something that quickly slinked back into the shadows of the darkened room. Summoning five clones, Naruto gave them a silent command to watch over his comrades. He returned his gaze to the hallway. The shadow quickly moved to the opposite doorway. It didn't even activate any of the traps that Tenten had previously placed. Whoever or whatever it was, its stealth and speed was nothing to laugh at.

Maito Gai had challenged the weapon mistress to a test. He gave as much time as she wanted to set up any number of traps. If Gai could not make it through in a relatively unharmed fashion, then the team could receive a week break from his 'To Hell and Back' training regime. She quickly accepted. Truth be told, Gai never made it through even half of the traps. She had thought of everything. When it came to traps and weaponry, Tenten was second to none within her respective age group.

The fact that this…thing passed them by without hesitation, spoke volumes of its capabilities.

"_Maybe it's a ghost…_" Naruto chuckled nervously.

{_**Man up and go after that thing!**_} the scythe yelled.

Two mental chuckles further angered the ten-year-old.

"_FINE I'LL GO!_"

Naruto glided through the hallways. He used every ounce of knowledge he had on Tenten to avoid setting off any of the traps. Luckily most of the traps were meant to attack outwards. As in, they would not be aimed towards their base of operations, but rather away. Any activation of said traps would instantly notify the three of an enemy intrusion.

How much time flew by, Naruto didn't know. All he did know was that he now found himself face to face with the Mental Health wing of the Hospital.

"_Really?_" an audible sigh escaped his lips, "_Why do I have this feeling that this is the worst possible place it could have gone._"

With a little 'encouragement' from Mitsukai, Naruto slipped through the double doors without a sound. His eyes quickly adjusted to the bleak darkness of the Mental Health Ward. The shadow-figure once again slinked into the corridors. Naruto quickly followed.

"_This thing is leading me somewhere…_"

{_**I think you're right. If not it would have attacked you by now.**_}

Left, right, down the hall pass three shattered doors, over a gaping hole in the floor and a quick right. The blond tried his best to keep the figure in his vision all the while keeping a safe distance. Just in case the thing decided to attack. After a final left turn Naruto found himself in a large padded room. Behind him, in the hall, appeared what could have been a steel door. It was hard to determine thanks to the contorted condition it was in.

{_**Whatever was in here, obviously had broken out.**_}

"_That's a foot thick, steel door! What was being held in here?_"

{_**Naruto…turn around…**_}

Facing into the room again, his blood ran cold. Almost every inch of the padding was covered in a black substance. The way the substance stained the walls made it appear to be splatters patterns.

"_Don't tell me, this stuff is all blood._"

{_**It is.**_} Kageshin whispered. {_**There was a slaughter in here.**_}

The left wall had streaks starting from the middle of the wall, ascending to the upper corner, near the door. A large spot was visible beside the door and an even larger pool sat below the impact point.

{_**The first victim…**_} Tenshu breathed.

Naruto froze once again as he noticed streaks going under his feet and out the door. Taking a little more time to analyze, a shiver racked his spine. They were finger trails…bloody finger trail going back INTO the room. This person had been dragged back into the room, where he met his end. The large splatter that encased the entire floor attested to that.

{_**Number two…**_}

The evidence of three more kills appeared on the ceiling, the other wall, and the far right corner of the room. Early rays of sun began to pour in through a hole in the ceiling, flooding Naruto's vision with a more intense image of the slaughter. What caught his eye the most, however; was the wall opposite the doorway. There was only one evident kill here, but one could still determine where the body had been. The lack of blood in one area of the wall bore this indication. It was difficult to see at first, but as the rays of sun continued to flood the room, the rough outline of a human body was present. It appeared that this victim literal exploded.

"I've had enough of this room. Let's head back to base."

Quickly finding an exit to the building, Naruto reentered through the use of the morgue chimney. Naruto moved to wake Tenten once he got back inside. Once she was coherent, the young woman began her watch shift and allowed the boys to sleep in peace. Her shift was uneventful however, as she probably believed that all the other teams were still asleep as well.

"Naruto, Lee, wake up." She called.

In an instant Lee was up and raring to go. Naruto was a tad bit reluctant. A well place kick in the ribs made him more compliant. Breakfast was eaten in relative silence. After finishing, Naruto decided to issue the orders for the day.

"Lee, you still capable of doing recon?"

"YOSH!"

"I'll take that as a yes…" turning to the female of the team, Naruto continued his orders. "Tenten, I was unable to find a relatively safe exit route. I think we will need to make one. This morgue is approximately fifty feet below the surface."

"You want to try and dig a tunnel to the surface?" she questioned.

"Emphasis on the word 'try'. The only question is where would be the best place to try?"

"Well, while I was setting my traps up, I noticed a room connected to the morgue. I believe it's the mortician's office. There's a closet that would make a perfect entrance/exit."

"Awesome. We will begin there. Lee!" Naruto grabbed his chin in thought.

"Hai?"

"Go ahead and begin your recon. Report before lunch around noon."

"YOSH!"

With a giant leap, Lee shot up the chimney and disappeared into the surrounding area.

"What kind of material is the ground outside?" Tenten questioned.

A clone popped into existence. Wordlessly the clone henged into a lizard and made its way outside. Three minutes passed before Naruto grabbed his head.

"It appears to be mostly clay. Probably the cause of this building being tilted."

"Well if we can heat the clay enough we can form some form of support to prevent a cave-in."

"I'll take the trays from the morgue cabinets to reinforce the tunnel as well."

"Then let's get to work Naruto. An enemy can attack at any time."

With a nod from the blond, the two set to work.

-**Two Hours Later With Lee**-

Lee decided to continue from where he had stopped the previous day. Reaching a forested area, the taijutsu took to the high branches. Minutes flew by as he continued to search. His scouting remained fruitless until he reached a large clearing. Stopping on the highest branch possible, Lee held his breath upon the sight. Right beneath the boy, was one of the Mist teams and the Kumo team. Two of the Mist ninja were incapacitated; the last facing off against Katai. The fight ended in an instant. One moment the two combatants glared down at each other, the next Lee's perch shook violently. Looking down, Lee's eyes widened at the scene below. The Mist shinobi's body was cratered into the tree's base; Katai's fist indenting the other's stomach.

"_Such power…Gai-sensei would be impressed._"

Lee's gaze shifted to the other two members of the group. His eyes noticed the third Kumo member pointing towards his current position. A quizzical look spread across Aiyoku's face, before it was replaced with a soft smile. Suddenly Lee's vision began to twist and turn as a wonderful scent washed over him.

"Intoxicating…"

The only thing that broke Lee from his aroma-induced trance was a massive spike of killing intent. Add in the fact that Katai was now inches from his face; Lee had less than a second to move out of the way. Shards of tree showered both males as the attack landed. In an instant, the Konoha ninja vanished into thin air.

"Return Katai." The young woman commanded.

Said male quickly returned to her side.

"It's now time to hunt." A devious smile crossed her face. "You're up Shinji."

-**With Lee**-

Lee grunted softly as he removed a piece of tree from his shoulder. He had to return to the base quickly. In mere minutes, Lee disappeared down the morgue's chimney.

"LEE!" Tenten yelled upon seeing the condition of the boy's shoulder. "What happened?"

Tenten set to work patching up the wound. It was difficult to speak due to his accelerated return. Once his breathing came to decent level, Lee told both teammates about what he discovered. Naruto stayed silent throughout the entire exchange.

**{**_**I smell **_**her**_** on Lee…**_} Kageshin commented.

"_So I wasn't imagining it then._" Naruto confirmed. "_What are the chances we will be running into that team during this portion of the exam?_"

"I do not know what happened. One moment I was watching Katai obliterate the tree below me with his opponent's body, and the next thing I realized is something started to distort my senses. The scent was intoxicating…like I was losing my grasp on the world. I barely escaped Katai's assault."

Naruto's eyes widened in recognition. The same situation nearly happened to him several times before and every time, Aiyoku was there. This apparently was her ability, but what did it cause to the affected? How come it took so little for Lee to fall to the technique's vice, but for him it was only brief incidents? So many questions! A sigh escaped the blond ninja. Running a hand through his hair, Naruto looked his comrades in the eyes.

"Be prepared team. I have an annoying suspicion we will be seeing Aiyoku and Katai again…really soon."

"If that is the case, can we do anything to bolster our defenses?" Lee inquired.

"I don't think so," Tenten informed. "This Aiyoku girl seems to enjoy playing with her 'prey', my women's intuition is telling me she won't aim to hurt you until the third portion. After all, I highly doubt she has shown all of her cards. Not only that, but I wouldn't be surprised if she would like to 'sink' a few more of her fangs into you Naruto."

A shiver trickled down his spine.

"Just great..._wait for me Kurenai. This is going to be a long week._"

Team ten laid low for the rest of the day.

-**DAY 3**-

Naruto woke with a start. Cold sweat drenched his body.

"Damn that woman…" he spat.

Every single dream was filled with the Kumo kunoichi.

{_**Her fangs are in you deep Master.**_} Mitsukai broke him from his silent cursing.

"_You're right Mitsukai, what can I do? I can't afford to be around her. Things are getting worse and if this continues…I will lose Kurenai's trust and possibly so much more._"

{_**…I wish I could help Master, but I have no wisdom to offer you. Just be sure to use the head on your shoulders.**_}

The scythe's connection disappeared. Running a hand through his hair, Naruto let out another exasperated sigh. He then stood on his feet, effectively popping everything back into place. Tenten smiled as the male walked up beside her.

"I will be doing recon today. Do NOT let Lee over-exert himself."

"Hai, be safe Naruto."

"I will."

With a salute, the blond vanished.

"_Hopefully some fresh air will clear my mind._"

Naruto reached the forest surrounding the urban landscape. It felt wonderful. The wind whipping through his hair; bending around his form. Oh how he loved the feeling of weightlessness. It was relaxing. Nothing compared to this serene experience.

"I wonder if I will run into my fellow village-mates." A smirk crossed his features.

Searing pain shot through his skull. He crashed into the next tree; hitting a few branches on the way down. After his fall ceased, Naruto lifted himself off the ground with a groan.

"_Remind me not to make clones and have them sustain such long lifetimes._"

Naruto began to sort through the memories of his three dispelled doppelgangers. He had no need to relive the first portion of the exam. Those memories were discarded immediately. More of the memories were discarded as their significance proved to be little. However, the final images that passed before him produced a frown. The first clone's last moments included the angered face of a very familiar Kumo shinobi. The second's gasped in surprise at a fist shot through his chest. Naruto smacked his forehead as the last clone's final moment flashed through his mind.

"_How disgraceful…_" blood slipped out of Naruto's nostril. "_I swear she will kill me without fighting me._"

The final clone had basically been seduced by Aiyoku. Oh she knew how to make a man quiver in his boots with just her charm alone. What she said before the clone died from blood loss made him jump to his feet.

"It's time to hunt down Naruto-kun and his team. Even better," she paused before looking off to the right. "He is really close by."

Adrenaline coursed through the male's body as he climbed the nearest tree. Upon reaching the top branch, Naruto tensed. Katai and Aiyoku were standing on a branch some thirty feet in front of him. The third Kumo team member stood silently behind the other two.

"Oh how I have missed you Naruto-kun." She purred.

Naruto's glare did not falter as he locked eyes with Katai. Though he was looking directly at the Kumo ninja, the female understood that he was also keeping tabs on her.

"What business do you have with me and my team?"

"Oh-ho-ho, straight to the point. That's what I like about you Naruto-kun, you're so direct." Again she cooed. "So I take it that those 'Konoha Shinobi' were actually your clones the entire time? Brilliant idea! By impersonating your comrades with your clones, you increased your chances of survival in the exams. I love how your devious mind works!"

"I don't want to appear harsh, but currently you are my enemy right now. I cannot allow you to bring harm to my comrades. If you oppose me, I will fight without restraint."

Katai almost flinched as he saw the normally cerulean orbs begin to fade to crimson. Mitsukai materialized in his hand and with a swing of the blade, the top portion of a tree fell to the forest floor. Aiyoku began to fan herself, she could feel the power radiating off the blond.

"Now now Naruto, didn't I tell you…" she smiled predatorily, "You are already under my spell."

In that instant, Naruto's vision began to distort. His breath began deep and labored; a tightening of his stomach further worsened his condition. All he could focus on was the scent that radiated from her body and attacked his being. It called to him; caressed him. Naruto found it difficult to controls his body's impulses. Her smell was trying to pull him to her. He could faintly hear the scythe cursing the succubus that stood before her master.

{_**NA…O! You're…like…dog…..in heat! Pull you…..lf…..gether!**_}

Aiyoku began to gesture to the male. A single finger from her smooth hand curled and unfurled; calling Naruto forward. Step by step he dragged himself toward her. The need to be by her only increased as time passed.

"_Forgive me Kurenai…I can't control myself…_"

After a couple hops, Naruto landed ten feet away from the three enemy shinobi. Mitsukai's voice finally broke through the kunoichi technique.

{_**TAKE THIS YOU STUPID HUSSY!**_}

The scythe suddenly extended; slicing through the air, intent of separating Aiyoku's head from her shoulders.

Blood dripped slowly down the blade. Broken from his trance, Naruto pulled his scythe from its victim with a sickening squelch. Putting distance between them, the blond intensified his glare.

"I see you still have some resistance left." A giggle escaped the woman. "Thank you for protecting me Katai."

Gripping his wounded shoulder, Katai responded without taking his off Naruto. "Any time hime."

A soft green glow covered her hand and Katai's shoulder stitched itself back together. Once the wound was gone, the dark haired male sprung into action. Aiyoku was unable to stop the boy before he leapt. Sheathing Mitsukai for the moment, Naruto jumped to meet his opponent mid-air. Throwing a left straight, the Kumo male sent Naruto crashing to the forest floor. A crater formed from the impact.

"Katai st-" she began before Shinji placed his hand upon her shoulder.

A shake of his head informed Aiyoku to remain silent. One attack led to another. Each shinobi took turns hitting or throwing their opponent around. After a few minutes of struggling Naruto summoned Tenshu and met Katai's punch with his own fist. A tiny shock wave spread from the impact and a sickening crack split the air. Grabbing his now broken arm, Katai gasped as Naruto took hold of the uninjured left arm. The blond then proceeded to kick out the other's legs, slammed the boy's face into the ground, and wrench the arm behind his back.

"Give." Naruto commanded, placing a foot in the middle of Katai's back.

"Nev-"

Twisting the arm more, the groaning of the arm's bones became audible. For added emphasis, Naruto redrew the scythe and place the blade near the neck.

"I would prefer to not have your teammates carry your corpse back home."

Aiyoku and Shinji appeared several yards away from Naruto and Katai.

"It seems you are quite serious about this Naruto-kun." Her gaze was hard and did not fit on her flawless face.

"Of course I am." He spat out blood before continuing. "I must become a chuunin. I do not care who my opponent is or how many there are. I _will_ achieve my dream."

"What will it take for you to release my teammate?"

"Stop messing with me and my team."

"I can only fulfill one of those."

"And why is that?" he glared.

"In my village, power is everything. I am attracted to power." A coy smile and lustful eyes spread across her features. "Out of all of the candidates for chuunin, you are the strongest. It's hard not to be attracted to someone with your capabilities."

A sigh from the male made Aiyoku raise an eyebrow. The scythe inched away from Katai's throat.

"I am sorry, but I already have my sights set on someone. Plus, I am not some piece of meat that you can play with!" The blade returned to being pressed into the Kumo nin's neck.

"Then can I offer supplies in exchange for my teammate's life?"

"No…"

Summoning a Shadow clone, the carbon copy quickly dispelled.

"I should now have enough supplies to last me and my team the rest of the week."

Aiyoku's eyebrows rose again.

"You replaced more than one team with your clones."

"Truth be told, I actually had five teams replaced. Only two of them made it through the first portion. You destroyed the first team, and I just recalled the second team."

"Your clones can share memories?" Katai exclaimed before being silenced with a twist of his arm.

"You could say that. Now, if I remember correctly, you have nothing to give me in exchange for his life."

She hung her head in defeat.

"Then I am powerless. You win Uzumaki."

"Finally…"

In an instant, Naruto removed the scythe and kicked the defeated male. Katai crashed in a lump at her feet. Aiyoku looked on in shock. Why was he being merciful? What could he possibly gain by releasing her teammate?

"What the-" Katai began.

"Shut the hell up boy!" the blond commanded with a glare.

All three ninja shrunk back at the aura emanating from Naruto's body. This time, his left eye glowed a deep silver color while the other remained blue.

"Just remember that I held you life in MY hand." The aura dispersed, "Now if you will excuse me, I have a team to take care of."

With a quick turn, Naruto vanished into the foliage. Aiyoku sighed before she began to heal her teammate's injuries once again.

"You baka…" she whispered.

-**With Tenten and Lee**-

Both Konoha ninja jumped as Naruto came crashing down the chimney. His breathing was labored and sweat drenched his body.

"_My heart…it's beating…so rapidly. I can barely see past this haze. What is going on with me?_"

{_**I think she has some sort of ability to influence your hormones.**_} Mitsukai commented. {_**She induced a high state of lust in you with just her scent alone.**_}

"How can I face someone who can basically control my body's impulses?" he whispered to himself.

"Naruto! What's wrong?" Tenten questioned.

"I ran into the Kumo team…" Naruto took a large breath to calm himself. "I was able to escape."

"She did a number on you too?" Lee questioned, his seriousness not befitting of his normal persona.

"Hai. If I faced her in the future it would be too soon."

"Why is that?" Tenten was thoroughly confused.

"She has an ability to induce some form or hormonal influx. She nearly incapacitated me by causing a high sense of lust in me." Naruto visibly shivered. "And I believe that the more you come in contact with her ability, the greater the effect…"

"That would explain-"

"Yah…" the blond cut her off. "She sees me as the most powerful male in the exam and that has garnered her 'affections' as it were."

Silence reigned in the morgue for quite a few minutes. Suddenly three thuds broke it. Cautiously, Tenten opened the incinerator's door and scanned the room.

"Maybe-"

"Hey is the boss in?" a voice scared the young girl.

Instantly she threw a kunai at the voice's owner.

"Dang!" another voice commented with a smirk. "A little on edge Tenten-chan?"

Opening the doors completely, three Konoha shinobi stood before her. In fact it was the team that had caused the little episode with Kakashi before the second portion had even begun. Something was off. Two of the ninja were sporting a very mischievous smile. Almost the same one that-

"NARUTO! EXPLAIN YOURSELF!"

Three simultaneous 'poof's turned her attention to the three shinobi. In their places, stood three replicas of Naruto. It took the blond several minutes to explain that he had made five teams worth of clones, disguised them as a couple teams that had not made it to the first portion, and all that had transpired.

"So basically these clone teams were meant to provide us an edge in the Chuunin Exam."

"Correct!" Uzumaki smiled scratching the back of his head.

"Isn't that cheating?" Lee questioned.

"There was nothing in the rules about it/" Naruto smiled again with a snicker. "But think of it this way. We now have supplies to last us the rest of the week. Plus I am positive that the proctors noticed. The fact that they didn't report me means that I am in no immediate trouble."

Tenten sighed.

"Well it's getting late. We will need to eat dinner and decide the guard duty schedule."

Team ten settled down for the night. Lee would get first watch, then Tenten second watch, and finally Naruto would finish guard duty. The first two shifts passed without a hitch. However, for Naruto, the feeling of being watched returned. Just like the previous time, he created five clones and exited the morgue. Once again Naruto traversed the hospital. It only took twenty minutes to reach the bloodied room. Nothing had changed.

"Why am I being led here?"

Out of curiosity Naruto actually entered the room. The farthest wall had gained a great deal of his attention. Placing his hand upon it, Naruto examined it.

{_**Something is off.**_} Tenshu warned.

Naruto pushed against the wall with a small portion of his strength. A tiny groan split the night air.

{_**There is something behind this wall… Either that or the structure has rotted.**_}

"Well only one way to find out."

Summoning Tenshu's gauntlet form, Naruto proceeded to obliterate the wall. A foul stench overloaded his nose and he nearly threw up the contents of his stomach. Covering his mouth with arm, the blond entered the darkened room. Vials and jars filled with…probably best to not say, lined hundred of shelves. A lone desk stood in the center of the room. Piles upon piles of scrolls and parchments covered its surface. Stepping closer to the desk, Naruto began to go through the materials. Many of the parchments fell apart in his hands. He was only able to pick up a couple words before they crumbled. Some revealed the results of experiments. Others talked about the mental status of patients. However, a large scroll peeked his interest. It looked liked nothing he had seen before. The quality of the paper was too thick. At least thicker than the scrolls he was use to. The texture was rough and fibrous. Opening the item, Naruto gazed upon the first couple of sentences.

"The Golden Age of the Samurai-" he read aloud.

After reading a few more paragraphs, Naruto stopped.

"What is a Samurai history scroll doing within the walls of Konoha?"

Little did the blond know that there was a pair of glowing red eyes watching him from the shadows.

* * *

**Author:** **Well, there is the eleventh chapter of Blazing Tundra. Like always review and let me know how I can improve things. Thanks for reading and I hope to be able to get the next chapter up within a week or two.**


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